Vesuvianite

A rich cluster of ‘Alpine cleft’-type Vesuvianite crystals with incredible luster. There are a half dozen very sharp, highly lustrous, gemmy, reddish colored prisms of Vesuvianite, the largest of which is 1.3 cm.  A stack of opaque calcites in the center. Only a few pockets of this quality were found around 2009-2010. Ex Phillip Potter, former curator Colburn Museum, Asheville NC. Superb thumbnail.

Locality: Shigar Valley, Gilgit- Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan

Composition: calcium aluminum silicate