THE MINERAL APOPHYLLITE
- Chemistry: (K,Na)Ca4Si8O20(F,OH) - 8H2O, Hydrated Potassium Calcium Sodium Silicate Fluoride Hydroxide.
- Class: Silicates
- Subclass: Phyllosilicates
- Group: Apophyllite
- Uses: Only as mineral specimens.
- Physical Properties
Specimens
Unfortunately, apophyllite is not a mineral!
Not officially, at least.
Apophyllite is a general term for three official minerals that are similar in their chemistry and physical properties.
Apophyllite is not the only mineral . . . non-mineral that this has happened to: see these non-minerals:
apatite,
olivine,
serpentine and
chlorite.
Below is a comparison of the three official apophyllite minerals.
THE OFFICIAL APOPHYLLITES
| FLUOR- APOPHYLLITE |
(K, Na)Ca4 Si8O20(F,OH) - 8H2O |
Tetragonal; 4/m 2/m 2/m |
White, colorless, green, yellow or violet | Not named | Some specimens fluoresce pale green or yellow |
| HYDROXY- APOPHYLLITE |
KCa4 Si8O20(OH, F) - 8H2O |
Tetragonal; 4/m 2/m 2/m |
White or colorless | Ore Knob Mine, Jefferson, North Carolina | Non-fluorescent |
| NATRO- APOPHYLLITE |
NaCa4 Si8O20F - 8H2O |
Orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m (pseudo- tetragonal) |
brown, brownish yellow, yellow or colorless | Sampo Mine, Takahashi, Okayama, Honshu, Japan | Non-fluorescent |
Fluorapophyllite is by far the most abundant and colorful of the three and is usually what is referred to when a specimen is just labeled apophyllite. Hydroxyapophyllite is also relatively common, but specimens typically lack any color and are limited to pseudo-cubic crystal habits. The natroapophyllite is quite rare and is found at only a few localities. Its typical brown color can help distinguish it from its close cousins. Natroapophyllite, by virtue of its more significant chemical and symmetrical difference, is truly a distinct mineral. Fluorapophyllite and hydroxyapophyllite however are a different story. The two are different minerals only because of the difference in the percentage of fluorine to hydroxyl ions. They represent the end members of a series that could be called the apophyllite series. The name apophyllite persists however and its usage is widespread, especially when distinguishing the true identity of specimens is difficult. Most mineral guide books list apophyllite as a single mineral and the rest of this discussion will deal with apophyllite in general.
Apophyllite is often thought of as a Zeolite Group mineral. But this would be wrong ! Zeolites are network silicates belonging to the Tectosilicate Subclass whereas apophyllite is a layered Phyllosilicate. The structural differences aside, apophyllite does have a lot of similar properties to many of the zeolite minerals. Chief among them is its low specific gravity, environment of formation and ability to lose water when heated (although it does not have the ability to re-absorb the water like zeolites). What confuses the issue is that frequently apophyllite and zeolites are associated together in low temperature/low pressure metamorphic environments. This is fortunate for mineral collectors as there are few mineral combinations that can beat the awesome apophyllite, stilbite, heulandite and natrolite specimens for sheer aesthetic beauty!
Another typically associated mineral is the green translucent prehnite that forms a rolling carpet on top of which are scattered sparkling clear pseudo-cubic apophyllite crystals, making very attractive specimens. Kinoite from the Christmas Mine in Arizona is a beautiful blue color and is often coated in tiny sparkling apophyllite crystals. Apophyllite is commonly associated with exceptional quartz and calcite crystals as well.
Its wonderful associations are nice, but apophyllite is more often than not the star attraction. What makes apophyllite so popular among collectors is its fantastic crystals with their gem-like vitreous to pearly luster. Apophyllite almost always forms good crystals of two major types. The favorite crystal habit is the rectangular prism capped by a steep four sided pyramid (tetragonal dipyramid). A doubly terminated crystal is exceptionally special. The faces of the pyramids are rotated 45 degrees with respect to the prism faces and so plunge down into the prism edges. This produces a diamond-shaped pyramidal face instead of a typical triangular pyramid face such as on quartz. The shape is an extraordinary example of tetragonal crystal form. Although normally colorless or white, colored examples of apophyllite are always treasured. By far its most impressive color is the pastel green color that augments specimens from Poona, India. Some crystals of apophyllite are cut as gems, but mostly just for collectors.
The other common crystal habit is a pseudo-cubic crystal that occurs when there is no pyramid and the prism is ended by a flat termination (a pinacoid). The pinacoid is a crystal form that is perpendicular to the length of the crystal and so can abruptly terminate the prism. It is often seen as simply truncating the pyramids by cutting off the points of the crystal. When the prism is short and blocky and there is no pyramidal faces, then the pinacoid face can make the crystal appear cube shaped. However the prism faces are commonly striated and all in one direction while the pinacoid is smooth, giving its true symmetry away. Conversely, if the pyramid faces are the only dominant form then the crystal can fool someone in to thinking it is octahedral!
Apophyllite specimens are found in ancient lava and basalt flows. The crystals grow in the now solid cavities, called amygdules, vesicles, or (commonly) geodes, formed by air bubbles when the rock was molten. Apophyllite is also found in the voids in the contact metamorphic zone limestones that surround intrusive rocks.
Apophyllite lends it name to a small group of minerals called the Apophyllite Group which includes, in addition to fluorapophyllite, hydroxyapophyllite and natroapophyllite, the mineral carletonite with a formula of KNa4Ca4(CO3)4Si8O18 (F, OH) - H2O. The Apophyllite Group is structurally very interesting. Like other members of the Phyllosilicates Subclass, the Apophyllite Group's structure is layered with alternating silicate sheets and the potassium, sodium, calcium, fluorine and water layers. But unlike other phyllosilicates, the Apophyllite Group silicate sheets are composed of interconnected four and eight-member rings. The sheets can be thought of as being like chicken wire with alternating octagon and square shaped holes. Both octagons and squares have a four fold symmetry and this is what gives these minerals their typical tetragonal or pseudo-tetragonal symmetry. Only Apophyllite Group members have this unique interconnected four and eight-member ring structure.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- Color is clear, white, green, yellow, pink, violet or rarely brown.
- Luster is vitreous to pearly on cleavage surfaces.
- Transparency: Crystals are transparent to translucent.
- Crystal System is tetragonal; 4/m 2/m 2/m; natroapophyllite is orthorhombic, 2/m 2/m 2/m.
- Crystal Habits include four sided prisms (with a square cross-section) truncated with either a steep four sided pyramid or a pinacoid termination or both. If the pyramids are missing, the crystals can look cubic. Rarely are the prisms missing, but if they are, crystals could appear octahedral because of the four sided pyramids. The faces of the pyramids do not lineup with the prism faces but with their edges, therefore the pyramid faces have four edges and appear diamond shaped instead of triangular like the pyramid faces of quartz. Rare tabular hydroxyapophyllite crystals are also known.
- Cleavage is perfect in one direction (basal).
- Fracture is uneven.
- Hardness is 4.5 - 5.
- Specific Gravity is approximately 2.3 - 2.4 (lighter than most translucent minerals).
- Streak is white.
- Other Characteristics: Prism faces are striated lengthwise, some specimens are fluorescent and crystals will flake when heated.
- Associated Minerals are prehnite, quartz, heulandite, stilbite, natrolite, analcime, datolite, babingtonite, cavansite, calcite, idocrase, wollastonite, kinoite, gyrolite and many other zeolites.
- Notable Occurrences are extensive and include the Deccan Traps
(ancient basalt flows) in India especially around
Poona, also found in Christmas Mine,
Arizona;
Fairfax, Virginia; Upper Peninsula, Michigan; Oregon; Pennsylvania;
Paterson, New Jersey and North Carolina, USA; Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;
Isle of Skye, Scotland; Collinward, Northern Ireland;
Mexico;
Nova Scotia and
Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada; Iceland; Kongsberg, Norway;
Harz Mountains , Germany and Sampo Mine, Takahashi, Okayama, Honshu, Japan. - Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, striations, associations, environment of formation, cleavage and luster on cleavage surfaces.
 Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery MINERALS |
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-12$ 150.00
Dims: 2.5" x 2.7" x 2.1"(6.4 x 6.9 x 5.3)
Wt: 3.66 oz.(103.9 g)
Poona, India
Several excellent Apophyllite crystals are scattered amid stilbite crystals of all sizes on this excellent hand specimen. These Apophyllite crystals have the distinction of both excellent tetragonal prismatic crystal form with pyramidal terminations and a lovely green color. They all have a vitreous to pearly luster and are transparent, with noticeable internal fractures and flaws that usually run along the basal plane. The largest of these crystals measures about 0.8"(2.0 cm) in length and 0.4"(1 cm) in width and depth. There is another crystal that is the same length but half as wide and deep that is double-terminated. Many others are visible and undamaged, as well as several that show damage and/or are incomplete due to cleavage. Among these Apophyllites are clusters of flat stilbite crystals with shallow, 2-sided terminations and a pearly luster. These crystals range in size from microscopic to almost 1"(2.5 cm) long, and often have complex terminations whose tips are made up of several tiny terminations. Many of these crystals are aggregated into tight groups. All of this rests on the standard basalt base of all Indian zeolites.
apo-12 ($150.00)Poona, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-14
$ 120.00
$ 120.00
Dims: 2.2" x 1.8" x 1.8"(5.6 x 4.6 x 4.6)
Wt: 1.77 oz.(50.2 g)
Jalgoan, India
Seven Apophyllite crystals rest on this Indian specimen, amidst a bed of tiny stilbite crystals. These crystals range in size from 0.2 - 1.5"(0.5 - 3.8 cm) and are a pale green color. Two of them are worthy of note, as they are both large and have excellent transparence and form. They occur in a tetragonal prismatic form that is common for Apophyllite, and have four-sided, pyramidal terminations, which is quite uncommon for the mineral when it has the green color. These terminations are tipped by tiny basal faces, and their clarity is magnificent! One of these crystals is quite large, measuring about 1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5"(3.8 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm), and the other measures approximately 0.9 x 0.2 x 0.2"(2.3 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm). All of these rest on a bed of almost-microscopic white stilbite crystals that envelop thin branches of basalt that is possibly stalactitic. These are some of the finest Apophyllite crystals that I have seen.
apo-14 ($120.00)
Jalgoan, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-27
$ 45.00
$ 45.00
Dims: 6.0" x 1.8" x 1.5" (15.2 x 4.6 x 3.8 cm)
Wt: 9.93 oz. (281.6 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
There are at least 20 tetragonal prismatic Apophyllite crystals on the quartz host rock of this specimen. They are generally in good condition, though a few show obvious cleavage due to impacts. All are colorless and transparent, and most show concentrations of cloudy inclusions near their bases which fade to excellent clarity towards their terminations. Their luster ranges from pearly on the visible cleavage planes to nearly adamantine on undamaged faces. Likely the most interesting aspect of this piece is the quartz base on which these crystals rest; it is in the form of a stalactite that was hanging down in a basalt vug. It shows a rather large breakage surface on one side where it was separated from another stalactite and its tip is broken, but it is nonetheless very attractive and makes for an unusual piece. The quartz crystals that coat this stalactite do not exceed 0.2" (5 mm) in length or 0.1" (2 mm) in diameter and only their terminations are visible, but these terminations show excellent form and reveal the crystals' colorlessness and transparence. There is a small white patch of calcite or microcrystalline quartz on part of the stalactite that glows brightly under shortwave UV light.
apo-27 ($ 45.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-29
$ 35.00
$ 35.00
Dims: 3.2 x 1.9 x 1.4" (8.1 x 4.8 x 3.6 cm)
Wt: 4.39 oz. (124.4 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Dozens of Apophyllite crystals rest on the stalactitic quartz base of this small hand specimen. These crystals range in length from 0.2" (5 mm) to 1.6" (4.1 cm) and are generally in good condition, as a few of the crystals are either missing terminations due to cleavage or are otherwise damaged. All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces that possess a pearly-to-vitreous luster. All have steep 4-sided pyramidal terminations and are colorless and transparent. They are moderately clear- all contain cloudy inclusions near their bases and many have internal fractures or structural faults that run along their basal cleavage plane. They are accompanied by scores of tiny, thin stilbites that have a milky-white color and a pearly luster. The quartz base on which they rest consists of two partial stalactites that are partly intergrown. They are coated with a druse of tiny quartz crystals that takes on an almost plumose form. The piece is hot-glued onto a square acrylic base.
apo-29 ($ 35.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-33
$ 45.00
$ 45.00
Dims: 3.2 x 2.6 x 1.6" (8.1 x 6.6 x 4.1 cm)
Wt: 6.91 oz. (196.0 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
At least 10 small Apophyllite prisms rest on the quartz-lined basalt base rock of this hand specimen. These crystals do not exceed 0.6" (1.5 cm) in length and are in generally good condition, though the largest crystal is broken and incomplete and one other crystal is slightly scuffed along a termination face. All have excellent tetragonal form, with well-defined edges and striated but clean faces that possess the standard bright pearly-to-vitreous luster. They are colorless, transparent, and dimly to moderately clear, containing many basal-oriented internal fractures and cloudy inclusions. The quartz crust on which they rest consists a thin druse of countless tiny prisms that coats a pale gray layer of botryoidal agate, which in turn partly coats the basalt host.
apo-33 ($ 45.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-34
$ 40.00
$ 40.00
Dims: 3.7 x 3.6 x 2.4" (9.4 x 9.1 x 6.1 cm)
Wt: 15.3 oz. (433 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Part of a basalt vug contains several well-formed Apophyllite crystals. These crystals achieve dimensions of 0.9 x 0.5 x 0.5" (2.3 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm) and appeare to be in very good condition, as only a few are damaged. However, they are somewhat difficult to study, as most are at least partly intergrown with each other, and all are at least partly coated by clusters and sheaves of small stilbite crystals that have grown off of them. Even with this interference, all have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with sharp edges and clean faces that possess the standard bright pearly luster. All are colorless, transparent and moderately clear, containing several basally-oriented internal cleavage planes and some cloudy inclusions. There are hundreds of the small stilbite crystals, almost all of which do not exceed 0.3" (8 mm) in length. They are in surprisingly good condition, as only a few are crushed, and line the inner surface of the basalt vug where there are no Apophyllites.
apo-34 ($ 40.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-35
$ 50.00
$ 50.00
Dims: 5.0 x 3.1 x 2.5" (12.7 x 7.9 x 6.4 cm)
Wt: 12.6 oz. (357 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
At least 30 Apophyllite crystals rest on this hand specimen. These crystals are generally in very good condition, as only a few are damaged or broken, and reach lengths of up to 1.2" (3.0 cm). All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces. They are colorless, transparent and have the classic bright pearly luster. Most are transparent and very clear, but several are heavily included and contain basally-oriented internal cleavage planes. They are accompanied by many stilbite blades that do not exceed 0.8" (2.0 cm) in length. These blades are generally in good condition and have good monoclinic bladed form. All of these rest on a base that appears to be made up of agate and masses of more, microscopic, intergrown stilbites.
apo-35 ($ 50.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-36
$ 45.00
$ 45.00
Dims: 4.7 x 4.4 x 2.4" (11.9 x 11.2 x 6.1 cm)
Wt: 1 lb., 15.0 oz. (879 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
This large hand specimen consists of several Apophyllite crystals which rest on a crystalline quartz crust. The largest of these Apophyllites has dimensions of 0.9 x 0.9 x 0.6" (2.3 x 2.3 x 1.5 cm) and is rather badly damaged and broken in one area; two other crystals are damaged, and one of these shows obvious cleavage. The other crystals are generally intact and in excellent condition. All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces that possess the standard bright pearly luster. Their basal faces, however, have a rather dull pearly luster and are very subtly patterned. All are colorless and dimly transparent due to many cloudy inclusions and basally-oriented internal cleavage planes. They rest on a crust or druse of small, well-formed quartz crystals that do not exceed 0.3" (8 mm) in either length or diameter. This druse covers a thin crust of gray banded agate that partly coats the basalt base rock
apo-36 ($ 45.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-37
$ 28.00
$ 28.00
Dims: 4.7 x 2.5 x 1.9" (11.9 x 6.4 x 4.8 cm)
Wt: 9.1 oz. (258 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Several Apophyllite crystals rest on the almost stalactitic quartz base of this specimen. The Apophyllites are in moderately good condition, as several of them are damaged or incomplete due to cleavage, but the largest one is surprisingly intact and has dimensions of 1.8 x 0.6 x 0.6" (4.6 x 1.5 x 1.5 cm). All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces. They are essentially colorless and transparent, though the larger ones are cloudy and essentially translucent along their prism lengths. They are accompanied by a few small stilbites and countless tiny quartz crystals that coat the "stalactite". A small amount of the basalt host rock is attached to this formation.
apo-37 ($ 28.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-38
$ 26.00
$ 26.00
Dims: 5.2 x 4.1 x 3.2" (13.2 x 10.4 x 8.1 cm)
Wt: 1 lb., 14.0 oz. (849 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
This hand specimen consists of a chunk of basalt base rock on which rest several Apophyllite crystals. These crystals are generally in good condition and do not exceed 0.0.9" (2.3 cm) in length. All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form and are colorless, transparent, and dimly to very clear. They are accompanied by several stilbite blades and a few chubby, doubly-terminated calcites. All of these rest on a druse of tiny quartz crystals which covers a white agate crust.
apo-38 ($ 26.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-40
$ 27.00
$ 27.00
Dims: 3.9 x 2.9 x 1.5" (9.9 x 7.4 x 3.8 cm)
Wt: 7.61 oz. (215.8 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
This Apophyllite hand specimen consists of dozens of small crystals that rest on a sparse basalt base. These crystals range in length from a few millimeters up to nearly 1" (2.5 cm) in length and are generally in good condition, as only a small number are damaged or cleaved. All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges, clean faces, and well-formed pyramidal terminations that are often truncated by small basal faces. They are colorless and transparent, and possess the standard bright pearly luster. They are accompanied by several stilbite blades, most of which are damaged and incomplete.
apo-40 ($ 27.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-42
$ 70.00
$ 70.00
Dims: 7.9 x 5.5 x 5.0" (20.1 x 14.0 x 12.7 cm)
Wt: 9.25 lbs. (4.2 kg)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
This cabinet-sized specimen consists of a large cluster of heavily-intergrown Apophyllite and stilbite crystals that rest on a basalt base. These Apophyllites are generally in good condition, showing noticeable damage and cleavage, but most are intact. They reach lengths of up to 1.3" (3.3 cm) and have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges, clean faces, and well-formed pyramidal terminations. All are colorless, have a bright pearly luster, and are transparent to translucent. Most have very clear terminations, but rather cloudy prism areas. The accompanying stilbite blades are not as large as the Apophyllites, but are generally in better condition. Their monoclinic bladed form is very good, and all have a creamy-white color and pearly luster, and are translucent. Both minerals are separated from the basalt base by a layer of drusy quartz (made up of tiny crystals) that covers a layer of agate.
apo-42 ($ 70.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-45
$ 75.00
$ 75.00
Dims: 7.9 x 4.0 x 3.5" (20.1 x 10.2 x 8.9 cm)
Wt: 4 lbs., 2.1 oz. (1.873 kg)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
This cabinet-sized specimen consists of scores of Apophyllite prisms that line the inside of part of a basalt vug. These crystals are generally in excellent condition due to the protective form of their host, and reach maximum dimensions of 1.4 x 1.3 x 0.9" (3.6 x 3.3 x 2.3 cm). All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges, clean faces, and well-formed and truncated basal terminations. They are generally colorless, transparent, and have the standard bright pearly luster. Most are very clear, but the largest crystal (which is much larger than the rest) is quite cloudy, containing many cloudy inclusions and several internal fractures. They are accompanied by many stilbite blades, most of which are broken, and are separated from the basalt host rock by a thin layer of gray-white agate.
apo-45 ($ 75.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-47
$ 32.00
$ 32.00
Dims: 5.8 x 2.8 x 1.8" (14.7 x 7.1 x 4.6 cm)
Wt: 9.7 oz. (275 g)
Jalgaon, India
Not more than 10 Apophyllite crystals rest on the stilbite-and-agate base of this hand specimen. These crystals are small, not exceeding 1" (2.5 cm) in length, but are in excellent condition, showing no damage. All have excellent tetragonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces, and some are doubly-terminated. All are transparent and clear at their termination tips, but cloud to a milky translucence towards their bases. All show a bright pearly-to-vitreous luster. The most exposed and best-formed crystal has a noticeable olive-green tinge that extends from its base to the end of only one of its terminations- the other half of the crystal is colorless. The base on which they rest is made up of intergrown, possibly stalactitic white agate formations that are covered with countless tiny stilbites. A few of these, however, are large, reaching 0.7" (1.8 cm) in length. A small amount of basalt is interspersed with the stilbites at their base.
apo-47 ($ 32.00)
Jalgaon, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-48
$ 26.00
$ 26.00
Dims: 4.0 x 2.6 x 1.7" (10.2 x 6.6 x 4.3 cm)
Wt: 10.6 oz. (301 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Two separate Apophyllite clusters rest on the basalt base of this specimen. Both consist of crystals that measaure up to 0.5" (1.3 cm) along an edge and are mostly damaged or broken. Where intact, their tetragonal prismatic form is good, showing well-defined edges and clean faces, some of which are caused by cleavage. Their color is pale green, their luster is pearly-to-vitreous and all are transparent but only dimly clear due to inclusions and internal fracturing. They are accompanied by a few broken stilbites and rest on a crust of what is likely more, decayed stilbite that coats the base rock.
apo-48 ($ 26.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-49
$ 60.00
$ 60.00
Dims: 5.5 x 4.7 x 2.0" (14.0 x 11.9 x 5.1 cm)
Wt: 1 lb., 2.8 oz. (534 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Several large Apophyllite crystals rest inside this partial basalt vug. Three or 4 of them appear to be cleaved, but the rest are in excellent condition, showing little damage, if any. They reach lengths of 1.7" (4.3 cm) and have excellent tetragonal prismatic form and the standard pearly luster. Their color is mostly a milky-white, and all are translucent to dimly transparent, containing many cloudy inclusions and internal cleavage planes. They rest on a druse of small, milky-white quartz crystals that coat the inside of the vug.
apo-49 ($ 60.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-50
$ 30.00
$ 30.00
Dims: 4.8 x 3.1 x 1.6" (12.2 x 7.9 x 4.1 cm)
Wt: 8.7 oz. (248 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Several clusters of partly-intergrown Apophyllites rest on the thin basalt base of this specimen. These crystals are generally in good condition and reach lengths of 1.1" (2.8 cm). Their tetragonal form is excellent, and several are double-terminated. They are generally colorless or milky-white and translucent or dimly transparent, and have a pearly luster. Some, however, have been coated with a dull, white crust. One cluster is partly coated by a cluster of stilbites, and all rest on a layer of crystalline stilbite and quartz that coats the basalt base.
apo-50 ($ 30.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-51
$ 120.00
$ 120.00
Dims: 3.5 x 2.0 x 1.5" (8.9 x 5.1 x 3.9 cm)
Wt: 6.57 oz. (186.4 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
At least 15 small Apophyllite crystals rest in a crevice in the basalt host rock of this hand specimen. These crystals do not exceed 0.5" (1.2 cm) in length and are generally in good condition- a few of the more exposed ones have been cleaved, but most are intact. Their tetragonal prismatic form is very good, and all have sharp, pyramidal terminations. Their color is a beautiful moderately-pale green with a hint of blue, and they are transparent and quite clear. They rest a bed of white heulandite crystals that extends in veins through the basalt host.
apo-51 ($120.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-56
$ 25.00
$ 25.00
Dims: 3.0 x 2.4 x 2.3" (7.6 x 6.0 x 5.8 cm)
Wt: 9.71 oz. (275.4 g)
Mahad, India
This small cabinet specimen consists of almost a druse of Apophyllite crystals that covers a basalt base. These crystals are in fair condition, as most of them are broken or damaged, and the largest intact crystal measures about 0.7" (1.8 cm) along each axis. Those that are intact have good tetragonal form and basal terminations whose corners are truncated. All have a rusty-pink coloration that fades to near colorlessness in areas and the standard, bright pearly luster. They are cloudy and dimly transparent at best, and some show a dark dust that is trapped just beneath their termination faces.
apo-56 ($ 25.00)
Mahad, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-57
$ 100.00
$ 100.00
Dims: 3.0 x 2.9 x 1.8" (7.6 x 7.4 x 4.6 cm)
Wt: 6.48 oz. (184.0 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
Seven or eight Apophyllite prisms rest on the basalt base of this large hand specimen. These crystals are in excellent condition and have good tetragonal form, though their axes are all nearly equal in length. All are colorless, transparent and dimly to moderately clear, and have the standard bright pearly luster. They rest on a thin crust of what appears to be laumontite that partly covers the basalt and has been coated with a bright, rusty-red powder. Many tiny stilbites extend from this crust.
apo-57 ($100.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-58
$ 30.00
$ 30.00
Dims: 3.1 x 1.9 x 1.9" (7.8 x 4.8 x 4.7 cm)
Wt: 5.19 oz. (147.3 g)
Jalgaon, India
This specimen consists of at least 12 Apophyllite prisms that extend from a quartz/basalt base. These crystals are in moderately good condition, as a few are cleaved or otherwise damaged, and they reach lengths of over 1" (2.5 cm). All have excellent tetragonal form, with steep pyramidal terminations, and show the standard bright pearly luster. They are colorless, transparent and moderately clear at their terminations, but cloud considerably along their lengths.
apo-58 ($ 30.00)
Jalgaon, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-59
$ 25.00
$ 25.00
Dims: 1.9 x 1.7 x 1.0" (4.8 x 4.3 x 2.5 cm)
Wt: 1.1 oz. (30 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
This hand specimen consists of a basalt base on which rest at least 10 Apophyllite crystals. These crystals range in dimensions from 0.2" (5 mm) square up to 0.5 x 0.4 x 0.4" (1.3 x 1.1 x 1.1 cm). About half of them are in excellent condition, showing almost no damage - the others were damaged when the specimen was mined. All have the standard tetragonal prismatic form with complex, pinacoidal terminations. They also have a beautiful, pale emerald-green color and a vitreous luster, and are transparent and moderately to very clear. The Apophyllites are accompanied by at least 12 cloudy stilbite blades and a crust made up of countless white heulandites that covers most of the basalt host.
apo-59 ($ 25.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-60
$ 210.00
$ 210.00
Dims: 3.0 x 2.9 x 1.7" (7.6 x 7.4 x 4.3 cm)
Wt: 4.9 oz. (140 g)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
At least 5 intersecting Apophyllite crystals make up most of the mass of this cabinet piece. These crystals are in excellent condition, showing little damage, and the largest has dimensions of 1.5 x 1.4 x 1.3" (3.7 x 3.6 x 3.2 cm). All have good tetragonal form that appears neary cubic and shows truncated corners and rough basal termination faces. Their pale green color is somewhat uneven and their luster is pearly, and all are at least dimly transparent. They are accompanied by several "wheat sheaf" clusters of stilbite that are also in excellent condition. The Apophyllites are also dusted with small stilbite or heulandite crystals.
apo-60 ($210.00)
Poona, Maharashtra State, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-61$ 315.00
Dims: 4.8 x 4.1 x 4.0" (12.3 x 10.5 x 10.2 cm)
Wt: 1 lb., 8.9 oz. (705 g)
Mohodari, Nasik, India
Two large Apophyllites rest on the zeolitic base of this display piece. The larger of the two is more visibly complete and measures about 1.3" (3.4 cm) along an edge. The smaller has visible dimensions of 0.9 x 0.9 x 0.7" (2.3 x 2.3 x 1.8 cm), though half of it is enveloped by the base. Both have excellent tetragonal prismatic form and flat, basal terminations, with small secondary faces that truncate the corners. The larger of the two, along with a few very small crystals that are stacked on the smaller, show a nearly cubic form. Their color is a dull brown-green and their luster is pearly, and all are translucent or opaque. The base on which the Apophyllites rest is made up entirely of what appear to be clusters of radiating natrolite needles. These needles reach lengths of nearly 1.5" (3.8 cm) and are generally in good condition, though many are broken. Those that are not broken are rather heavily weathered but still show good orthorhombic form. A few stilbite blades lurk among the natrolites, along with what appear to be a few large, malformed calcites. The piece has two surfaces that are cut flat - either can serve as a base.
apo-61 ($315.00)Mohodari, Nasik, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-62
$ 100.00
$ 100.00
Dims: 3.29x1.89x1.18" (8.35x4.81x2.99cm)
Wt: 4.32oz (122.2g)
Pashan, Poona, India
This specimen displays hundreds of small aqua-blue transparent apophyllite crystals and a crust of white heulandite (and a few larger translucent to transparent heulandite crystals). The color of the apophyllite is rather unusual - we usually find it either colorless or green. The individual crystals are transparent with a vitreous luster, and generally have rectangular cross sections and roof terminations, although many of the crystals appear to have had a basal cleavage instead of a termination. The contrast of white heulandite, aqua apophyllite, and a dark brown host rock makes for an aesthetic specimen.
apo-62 ($100.00)
Pashan, Poona, India
APOPHYLLITE specimen apo-63
$ 80.00
$ 80.00
Dims: 1.43x1.00x0.84" (3.63x2.53x2.13cm)
Wt: 0.75oz (21.3g)
Pashan, Poona, Maharashtra State,India
This is a beautiful specimen of green apophyllite on stilbite. The specimen is dominated by a single large crystal which has an essentially square cross-section and multiple terminations. While the bottom 60% of the crystal is cloudy due to internal fractures and stilbite inclusions, the remainder (and terminations) are quite transparent and have a lovely light green color. There are many facets, due both to a stepped growth displaying many little pyramids, and to additional small crystals with similar alignments. The stilbite crystals are colorless, long and thin, with a silky luster. Some of them are perched on the apophyllite at nearly right angles to the larger crystal. A tiny bit of the tips of the larger apophyllite crystals may have been cleaved off - it is difficult to tell, even with a loupe. It may be a growth pattern which has flattened the tips of the terminations.
apo-63 ($ 80.00)
Pashan, Poona, Maharashtra State,India