Detailed Description

A plate of tightly-packed golden stilbite fans with a few small, sharp, glassy analcime crystals on top. The stilbite is the top colour from this find and some of the fans are well-defined (separated enough from neighbouring ones to show their form). The analcime crystals are translucent to transparent, Around the left-hand margin (in the first photo, or top-rear in the second) one can see small pink crystals of gmelinite (pseudomorphs after chabazite) – they have a “spongey” texture with many hollows. In excellent condition and stands perfectly in either orientation. A beautiful display piece.

About the Minerals and Localities of the Bay of Fundy (click here)

About These Stilbite-Analcime Specimens from Five Islands

Occasionally over the years, good finds have been made at Five Islands. These have included natrolite, analcime and stilbite, as well as the famous gmelinite-after-chabazite from Pinnacle Island. The specimens from this stilbite-analcime find are beautiful and distinctive, combining the two minerals.

The stilbite crystal groups can vary in hue from one specimen to the next, and it should be noted that the stilbite hues also vary under different sources of lighting – they are richest under halogen lights, less so under cool LED. As with all specimens on the website, the photographs are colour-balanced to daylight.

The vein-pocket zone where these specimens were collected was located in a precarious area, beneath an unstable-looking cliff face. Fortunately it was safe enough to excavate the zone, resulting in these beautiful specimens.