Cavansite on Stilbite

Item Description

Cavansite gets its name from its chemistry (CA-lcium VAN-adium SI-licate) and is one of those species that has become synonymous with 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 great showy cabinet display specimen of this famous material featuring a plate of stark whit bladed crystals of Stilbite measuring to about 1.1 cm, which play host to eye-catching greenish-blue "sprays" of Cavansite throughout. sitting on beige Heulandite on basalt matrix. The piece is in fine shape, as far as I can see with the naked eye, I can't find any major damage, though some minor imperfections are probably visible with a bit of magnification. The older dealer label puts the value at $750, but I could see it higher in today's market. 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.