Serandite

Item Description

Without question, the finest crystals of Serandite ever found, are those from this classic Canadian locale. The prolific Poudrette Quarry at Mont Saint-Hilaire has been the source more individual mineral species than almost anywhere else on earth. According to what I can find on mindat.org, 438 individual confirmed mineral species have been found at this locality, only second to the Clara Mine in Germany at 467. This piece features a pastel salmon colored prismatic crystals of Serandite, free of matrix. The piece is not damage free, but it's still a nice example of these beloved specimens. These pieces are now quite hard to find on the market since collecting at Mont Saint-Hilaire has been notably restricted in recent years.
This piece comes from the collection of the recently departed Charles ("Charlie") Locke Key (May 18, 1935 - Dec 22, 2021. Charlie was ostensibly the most successful mineral/gem dealer of the second half of the 20th century. He also had the incredibly rare distinction of having two minerals named in his honor (Keyite and Ludlockite), which is quite significant for somebody who wasn't a part of the academic/scientific community. You can read his obituary in the March-April 2022 issue of the Mineralogical Record (https://mineralogicalrecord.com/back_issues/hallelujah-junction/).