Titanite, Feldspar

This specimen features numerous dark brown titanite crystals with bright, mirror-like faces set in a woody-brown microcline feldspar matrix. Much of the titanite occurs as intergrown aggregates with complex crystal development. At the front of the piece, a more classic wedge-shaped titanite crystal sits prominently. There is minor cleavage at the top of this main crystal, though it does not significantly detract from the overall presentation of this interesting specimen.

The specimen comes from Titanite Hill in the Grenville Province of Ontario, a locality well known among collectors for producing a diverse suite of minerals, including fluorapatite, fluoro-richterite, and titanite. This particular piece was collected by my father and me during a summer trip in 2020, making it a personal example from a memorable and productive field season during the Covid shut down.