Fluorapatite

This specimen features an unusually gemmy blue fluorapatite crystal with excellent translucency. While the form appears slightly melted, and the terminations are imperfect with minor bruising and a small chip on one side, the crystal's exceptional colour, size, and gemminess compensate for these imperfections. It sits attractively on a white calcite matrix, lightly stained with a bit of orange.

This fluorapatite originates from Lac-Sainte-Marie, Quebec, an obscure yet notable locality within the Grenville Province, renowned for its abundance of pegmatites. During the Grenvillian orogeny, these rocks experienced intense deformation and high-grade metamorphism, resulting in a predominance of calcitic marbles in the region. Metasomatic reaction zones formed at the contacts between calcitic marbles and silicate rocks, generating higher-than-usual concentrations of fluorapatite, making this specimen a good example from this geologically intriguing area.