Tourmaline with Stilbite on Microcline, Himilaya Mine, Mesa Grande, California

When Mike Menzies first showed me this piece I initially thought it was a simple zeolite specimen from India. Boy was I wrong! This is a zeolite - stilbite to be exact - but those ivory coloured crystals are scattered upon a large microcline crystal segment; certainly an uncommon association. The real surprise was the gemmy tourmaline (variety elbaite) attached to another side of the microcline! This large specimen is from the massive pegmatite at the Himalaya Mine which extracted world-class elbaite crystals. Zeolites from pegmatites are relatively rare indeed, making this piece mineralogically intriguing with is rare, yet attractive, combination. Mike, being a pegmatite expert, was naturally drawn to its complexity. First impressions are not always accurate! The partial Styrofoam base was added by Mike to allow the specimen to stand upright and is easily removeable if desired. Dimensions: 7 cm x 8.5 cm x 12.5 cm, with the tourmaline measuring 3 cm long