Gypsum

Item Description

Very large for the locale blades, up to 4.1 cm wide, on this sculptural and aesthetic "desert rose" gypsum from this well-known old playa lake deposit in Chihuahua. The striated blades are included with fine-grained sand, imparting the tan color. Specimens are often toasted with a blow torch to dehydrate the edges of the blades crystals. Toasting gives the blades a white edge, a dramatic contrast to the overall tan color of the gypsum. See: https://www.mindat.org/loc-180811.html. A bit of natural contacting during formation and a single dinged blade edge are certainly acceptable for such a soft species. Ex Lee Burnett Collection of Morrison, Colorado. This is a very rare and exceptional gypsum style, as most specimens from the locale are bladed balls.