Description

This is a well-defined twin of microcline (on the Baveno twinning law) – it is quite sharp and has good lustre for Mont Saint-Hilaire microcline. However, this microcline specimen has a lot more going on – it is from a well-known pocket from 2003, and it hosts crystals of several of Mont Saint-Hilaire’s best known minerals. Colourless crystals of albite, orange serandite crystals and black needle-like crystals of aegirine are all quite prominent. On one side, there are gorgeous small (to 2 mm) deep brownish red crystals of manganoneptunite, and they are perched upon a mound of micro catapleiite crystals, which comprise a pseudomorph after sodalite. Finally, there are rosettes of tiny polylithionite. In excellent condition – no damage to the microcline or the manganoneptunites, and although there are a few incomplete crystals of some of the others, there are excellent undamaged crystals of them too. A great microcline twin  and a super combination of well-crystallied Mont Saint-Hilaire minerals.