Triphylite (old material)

Item Description

A wonderful collector specimen featuring a well-formed euhedral orthorhombic (pseudohexagonal) crystal of the rare and sought after phosphate Triphylite associated with feldspar and mica matrix. The crystal has a rich dark greenish-blue color The crystal measures 7 mm and the fact it is exposed and sitting up on the specimen is a great bonus. New England has produced some of the most attractive and well konwn Triphylite crystals in the world, but fully-formed / terminated examples are few and far between in my experience with the material. This piece came to us from an old East Coast collection with a classic old label from legendary mineral dealer, Hugh A. Ford. Since the piece has Ford's Wall Street address, the label dates between 1947-1956. Please note that the label says that the piece is from the "Smith Mine in Sullivan County", but the Smith Mine is in Grafton County, and the Triphylite crystals I've seen from the Smith Mine area don't match this particular specimen, so I'm sure it's from Chandler's Mill. The label also goes on to say that color in the crystal is caused by Vivianite for what it's worth.