Zircon

This specimen showcases a pink zircon crystal with a bit of blue iridescence resting on a matrix of white nepheline, sourced from the CN rock dump in Bancroft, Ontario. The material in this dump originally came from the Golding-Keene Quarry nearby, which is renowned for its uranium- and thorium-bearing zircon variety, known as cyrtolite. The zircon crystals exhibit a reddish-brown hue and fluoresce yellow under ultraviolet light, highlighting the presence of radioactive elements. This piece is a decent example of the unique and sought-after zircons found in the Bancroft region, a famous mineralogical area for collectors.