Scapolite (strong color)

Item Description

When it comes to colors in the mineral world, one of the least represented hues is purple. If you eliminate Amethyst and Fluorite, there are very few consistently purple minerals out there. Scapolite is often found in either colorless, yellow or rarely purple crystals, and the specimens that came out of Dara-e-Pech around 2010 are some of the most intensely purple examples you'll see. Now it should be noted that Scapolite is not an actual name of a species, it's a group name for Marialite and Meionite, but it's nearly impossible to discern the species visually, so you'll see them labeled as Scapolite nearly all the time. This thumbnail sized piece is a beautiful terminated crystal group with very strong purple color for the size. The crystal also has good gemminess compared to many I've seen from this locality. Well-formed faces, good luster and beautiful form make it a wonderful representation of purple Scapolite. It is complete-all-around except for a small ding on the termination of the smaller crystal, and obviously it's contacted on the base where it detached from the pocket wall. The combination of the pyramidal termination, the intensity of the color, and the fact that it's a complete euhedral crystal is RARE in the mineral world. When you view the crystal along the "c" axis, the color is a stronger purple hue due to the pleochroism of the mineral.