Prehnite (new discovery)

Item Description

We picked up this specimen from a good friend in Lima who brought a small parcel to us at the Tucson Show in 2020. The pieces are almost certainly "Alpine"-type in origin due to their habit / style and associations. This showy cabinet sized specimen features translucent, pale "water" green colored "clamshell"-shaped crystals intergrown into clusters free of matrix. The reverse side of the specimen features massive dark greenish-black Diopside along with golden-brown colored crystals of what is either Epidote or Clinozoisite. The main cluster of crystals at the top of the specimen measures 5.7 cm across. The periphery is contacted where the piece was removed from the pocket, but the central Prehnite crystals are all in great shape. The crystals are actually somewhat gemmy when backlit, but they do have a low matte luster. If you collect Prehnites or Peruvian minerals, do not miss out on this one as it may be from a one time find according to our source who said that he purchased the piece from a woman in Peru who is not a miner or a field collector, she said her husband found them, but couldn’t tell him specifically where. All we know is that they were found near the city of Huancavelica. I'm told that the specimens were collected in late 2019.