Quartz pseudomorph after Serpentine (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

I've never seen a specimen of this material before, but the label gives all the pertinent information. It's certainly an unusual pseudomorph as it features Quartz which has replaced Picrolite which according to mindat is a "columnar or coarsely fibrous (non-asbestiform) variety of serpentine, commonly referred to as a variety of antigorite but may be other species". The piece is polished on one side and shows an attractive almsot chatoyant "cat's eye" effect when rotated in the light. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#2348). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Velt" November-December 2017). A cool specimen of this obscure material from Germany.