PYROPHYLLITE
Specimen pyh-1
$ 140.00Dims: 4.5" x 3.1" x 2.8" (11.4 x 7.9 x 7.1 cm)
Wt: 1 lb., 6.0 oz. (623 g)
Indian Gulch, Mariposa County, California, U.S.A.
This is the first Pyrophyllite specimen that I have ever examined, and I am very pleased with it! It is very beautiful, and appears to consist of many intersecting sprays of the golden-brown, needlelike crystals. There does not seem to be any host rock, and though several of the more exposed sprays are partially flattened, the piece is in otherwise very good condition. The larger sprays contain crystals up to 1" (2.5 cm) in length, and some of the smallest are not more than a few millimeters long. They have a coloration that ranges from nearly white to golden to a deep brown, which may be influenced by the presence of rust. They have a bright, pearly luster that, with their sometimes golden color, appears almost metallic in areas. Individual crystals may be translucent or even transparent, but in their compact, radiating habit, these are totally opaque.