Stilbite

Stilbite from Nasik, Maharashtra, India, measuring 94 × 58 × 50 mm and weighing 247 grams. A good-sized sheaf of this classic Indian zeolite, from one of the world's great zeolite-producing regions.

Stilbite is a calcium-sodium zeolite best known for its distinctive "sheaf of wheat" habit, where flattened, pearly crystals fan out from a central point in a way that has made it one of the most recognisable zeolites to collectors worldwide. The Nasik district sits within the Deccan Traps, an enormous pile of flood basalts erupted around 66 million years ago, and the gas cavities and cooling joints in those lava flows have produced some of the finest zeolite specimens ever found, Stilbite chief among them.

Maharashtra's basalt quarries, including those around Nasik, have been supplying the international mineral trade for decades, and Indian Stilbite of this quality remains one of the most sought-after zeolites for display, prized as much for its lustre and crystal form as for its scientific interest. This piece is from the David Vince Collection, and it earns its place in any zeolite collection on the strength of the locality alone.