Stilbite (old rare classic) French Natl. Mus. & Belsky Coll.

Item Description

A superb, large plate of lustrous, ivory-colored, stilbite crystals from a historic Iceland locale. Iceland is one of the great old classic locales for zeolites, and many were first found here in good crystals long before Indian zeolites came to market. This fine old-timer is probably from the historic Helgustadir Mine, Reydarfjordur, which is near Eskifjord town. "An occurrence of optical-grade calcite known since 1669. "Iceland spar" was mined in an organized way from 1855. Regular mining ended in 1925. The locality is also famous for zeolites, especially stilbite." (MINDAT). The base has been sawed to enhance the display quality. Ex French National History Museum and Belsky Collections. The Boubee label probably dates to circa 1910. Value???