Detailed Description

These two well-terminated elpidite crystals diverge ever-so-slightly towards the top. They are incredibly sharp elpidite crystals. Micro rhodochrosites are in association. In excellent condition. No damage to the two main crystals, and there is one un-terminated crystal section part-way up. This specimen can easily be displayed with that out of view at the back, but for my taste, even though it is not terminated, it adds to the aesthetics. This is a great thumbnail-sized specimen, particularly for this unusual species.

Elpidite is quite rare globally, and relatively few high-quality specimens are known. At Mont Saint-Hilaire, elpidite has been encountered periodically, almost always as bundles or jumbled groups of intergrown crystals lacking well-defined terminations. However, a 1990 pocket yielded the best terminated single crystals of elpidite known, and these specimens are from that pocket.