Stilbite

An impressive old-time stilbite specimen from Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil, displaying classic highly sculptural bow-tie habit. Sheaf-like crystals radiate outward from a narrow central point, forming a fan-shaped aggregates with a pleasing cream colour and silky pearly lustre. With some bruising around the edges, this guy measuring nearly 10 cm across, a very large size for the locality, resembling the classic Indian stilbite specimens that have long been favourites among zeolite collectors.

Although Brazil is better known for its tourmaline and quartz, the basaltic volcanic rocks of southern Brazil have also produced attractive zeolite specimens. Material from Lages is encountered far less frequently than comparable Indian pieces, making specimens from this locality an interesting addition to any zeolite collection. This specimen retains two collection labels, including one from the collection of W.D. Christianson and another from D. Smith & Sons, adding provenance to a distinctive specimen.