Polylithionite

This specimen is a delicate, translucent “flower” of silvery polylithionite, formed as thin, layered plates with no matrix, just a small bit of aggregate on the reverse side. A floater, the piece exhibits a yellow fluorescence under UV light. Collected by Peter Tarassoff in 2003, it represents a distinctive example of this rare mica-group mineral from the classic Poudrette Quarry at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec. With its elegant form, unusual optical properties, and provenance from one of the world’s most celebrated mineral localities, this is an outstanding specimen for collectors of Mont Saint-Hilaire minerals or rare mica species.