Natrolite/Scolecite

Item Description

Please note that this specimen was originally labeled as Natrolite, and later changed to Scolecite, but the fact of the matter is that recent testing has showed that some of these crystals contain BOTH species in different areas. Essentially, the species transition as calcium in Scolecite substitutes for sodium on Natrolite, and I've been told that some crystals can actually contain Scolecite, Natrolite AND Mesolite. It's similar to recent finds in the Tourmaline group where multiple species have been found within a single crystal from various world localities. With that said, it's quite possible that this specimen contains both Natrolite and Scolecite, so we're leaving it as such for now. What really makes the piece enticing is the fact that it has a light green color, rarely seen in neither Natrolite nor Scolecite, as both species are often white/colorless. I haven't found any information on the specific chromophore causing the green hue, but it could very well be vanadium, which gives the Apophyllites from the Deccan Trap their distinctive green hue. If you look at the close-up photo, you can see that the green color actually doesn't run completely through the crystals, as they are white in certain areas, so I guess you could say these are technically bi-colored crystals. This piece is a beautiful crystallized "spray" filled with attractive slender tetragonal prismatic crystals, and no matrix. I can't see any major damage with the naked eye. A really attractive and unusually colored example from this amazing specimen-producing part of the world. From the collection of Vasco Trancoso, a medical doctor and prominent mineral collector from near Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.mindat.org/user-11954.html). He assembled his mineral collection over the course of 60 years, and built a fine worldwide display collection that we recently purchased. This piece is pictured on mindat.org at https://www.mindat.org/photo-184216.html