LAZULITE
Specimen laz-22
$ 53.00Dims: 1.40x0.97x0.75" (3.56x2.46x1.90cm)
Wt: 0.75oz (21.2g)
Rapid Creek, Yukon, Canada
This is a very interesting lazulite specimen, especially when examined using a loupe. To the bare eye, the specimen (shaped rather like a stallactite) is covered with very dark blue lazulite crystals that look nearly black. There is a scattering of golden brown crystals, and one side is covered with a quartz druze. Under a loupe, the colors of the lazulite are wonderful, with the crystals appearing transparent with a vitreous luster. Some crystals (especially the few showing fractures) display pleochroism, evident by a range of colors including greens and even yellow. The golden crystals are revealed as classic dipyramids of wardite, and the quartz "druse" resolves into a forest of incredibly transparent tiny prismatic crystals. Also, a blue-white patch that I thought was damage turns out to have a coating of clear quartz crystals. WHile there is damage to the specimen, it is primarily fractures to the lazulite crystals that don't affect the overall color or appearance.