Calcite with Palygorskite (''Mountain Leather'')

Item Description

An attractive group of these fairly hard to find specimens of Calcite from Metaline Falls, Washington. The piece features many compressed trigonal Calcite crystals of a light silvery-smoky hue measuring up to 1.7 cm across, which are associated with matted, fibrous, off-white colored Palygorskite underneath. Sometimes you'll see Palygorskite labeled as "Mountain Leather", but technically speaking this term refers to an Amphibole species, and is actually part of a different mineral group than Palygorskite, but the name is still used nonetheless. Very showy, and great condition, and no major damage I can find, even on the underside of the piece.