FLUORAPOPHYLLITE ON STILBITE

ABOUT THE SPECIMEN Perched artistically atop this specimen is a "bowtie" of fluorapophyllite with rich color, both ends consisting of numerous sharp points. Lighter stilbite and brown, zeolite-coated matrix at the bottom help add just the perfect amount of contrast. Fluorapophyllite is by no means an uncommon species, especially from India, yet crystals with this gorgeous green color are much rarer, and specimens with this combination of aesthetic form and sharp crystallization will always be valued highly. It's also worth noting that specimens with this bowtie habit rarely pop up in examples of this size.   VIDEO   MORE INFO Jalgaon's basalt quarries exploit gas cavities within the Deccan Traps flood basalts, erupted approximately 66 Ma during the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Secondary minerals including fluorapophyllite crystallized from low-temperature hydrothermal fluids circulating through the cooled lava flows over millions of years following eruption. The district produces exceptional fluorapophyllite specimens - water-clear to pale green doubly-terminated prismatic crystals reaching 5-6 cm, typically associated with peach-colored stilbite "bowties" on chalcedony or basalt matrix. Green coloration comes from vanadium impurities, while colorless examples display pure glassy transparency with sharp pyramidal terminations on all crystal faces. What distinguishes Jalgaon within the broader Deccan Traps region is the frequency of doubly-terminated crystals and exceptional size - larger than most other Maharashtra localities except certain Pune District occurrences. Berthold Ottens documented these quarries extensively beginning in 1996, noting that material has been extracted intensively since the 1970s when Rock Currier and others first brought Indian zeolite specimens to Western markets. Recent production from 2021 continues, though easily accessible pockets have been largely depleted after decades of systematic collecting.