Stilbite-(Ca) (uncommon locality)

Item Description

This is a hard to find specimens from this remote locality in Russia. I've only seen a handful of these over the years, they came out in the early 1990s, soon after the fall of the Soviet Union, and it's my understanding that none more have come out. This locality might be best known for its excellent Thomsonite specimens, but the Stilbites are certainly very attractive and worth adding to any worldwide zeolite collection. This piece features a vug filled with well-formed, pearly bladed crystals on basalt matrix that range in color from a soft vanilla-beige hue on the tips, but you can see on some of the contacted crystals that they have more of a peach color internally. The largest crystal measures about 1.3 cm. The central crystals are in good shape, while the crystals are on the edges show separation marks where they were peeled away from the pocket wall. This specimen comes from the collection of Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado, and the namesake for the rare zirconium phosphate mineral, Kosnarite. Rich's handpainted label can be seen on the bottom of the specimen. Rich acquired this piece from his good friend, Gene Foord, who worked for the USGS in Golden, Colorado. Gene was fortunate enough to travel to Russia in 1992, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union and brought home a few specimens for Rich. Rock Currier was also part of this trip, and I found a photo of Gene at Stoneflower where this piece was acquired ( https://www.mindat.org/photo-454636.html ).