Celestine

These specimens were uncovered during a park development project in 1993 along what is now City Lane in Beaconsfield, just parallel to Highway 20 (Autoroute du Souvenir), one of the main thoroughfares for entering and leaving Montréal from the south.

Living nearby, Peter Tarassoff took the opportunity to investigate the fresh excavation. His efforts were rewarded with the discovery of numerous vugs containing beautiful celestine crystals, many accompanied by delicate sprays of white strontianite. Over the following period of construction, go in after work hours to collect specimens from the rock piles.

The celestine crystals are an attractive sky-blue, typically occurring as short prisms within the open cavities. Despite being collected over 30 years ago, these specimens have remained largely hidden in Peter’s collection until now.

We're pleased to finally release a selection of these pieces to collectors, perhaps of particular interest to those with an interest in Québec and Canadian localities. Not a new find, but an “old new” discovery just now seeing the light of day.