Datolite

Item Description

A superior and antique American datolite from a long-gone locality, that once produced some of the best crystals in the world for the species. Famous for its small but wide-ranging list of minerals from the Jurassic Holyoke Basalt, the Lane & Son Traprock Quarry began operations in 1891. This finely crystallized Datolite well-represents the species from here, with glassy, gemmy, complex crystals up to 4 cm. The watery, light-green color is attractive and, considering its age, the piece has just a small amount of wear that has little effect on the aesthetics. It is otherwise sharp and frankly is of a quality you'd expect to see from some more modern finds in Russia - not from the USA! From one of the oldest continuously operating quarries in the Connecticut Valley, this Datolite is a real find for this classic locality! Formerly in the collections of Nicola D'Ascenzo, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, and Chris Stefano. Valued $1500-2000