Cavansite

Item Description

Cavansite is a fairly rare mineral, which was named for its chemistry (CA-lcium VAN-adium SI-licate). It's one of those minerals, that is largely known from a single world locality, in this case, Wagholi, India. While it's not the type locality for the species (it was actually first discovered in Oregon), 99.9% of the specimens you'll find on the market are from Wagholi. They are unquestionably the finest examples of the species ever found, and I think of them in the same way that I do Vanadinite from Mibladen, Morocco, or Crocoite from Tasmania where they have been around for decades, and nothing even close to the scope, size and quality of the specimens has ever been close to being matched. This piece is a nice showy small cabinet display specimen of this famous material featuring a group of eye-catching vibrant greenish-blue "sprays" of Cavansite with individual crystal measuring up to about 7 mm long, sitting on grey Heulandite on basalt matrix. The piece is in good shape, as far as I can see with the naked eye, I can't find any major damage, though there are some bruises to the Heulandites which allow the underlying basalt to be exposed. One day Wagholi will no longer produce these pieces, and it will be virtually impossible to find Cavansites on the market unless they come out of old collections. Rumors keep swirling as to whether or not the quarries are finished, or being filled in for the ever increasing demand for housing around Pune, but they won't last forever, so don't miss out on these while they're still available at more reasonable values.