Schizolite

A very pleasing miniature featuring soft salmon-pink, layered bladed crystals of schizolite, a species often mistaken for serandite. The crystals show a clean, well-developed bladed habit with a gentle lustre and good form, including many well-defined faces. This specimen is free of damage from what I can see. The overall presentation is elegant, with the warm tones characteristic of the species.

Collected at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Québec, one of the world’s most important alkaline complexes, this specimen represents a classic occurrence of a lesser-seen mineral from the locality. Schizolite is part of the rosenbuschite group and is far less commonly encountered than its more famous counterparts. A fine and well-preserved example from this renowned and highly diverse mineral locality.