Stilbite with Calcite (ex Bob Batic and Brian Kosnar Collections)

Item Description

The quarry at Upper New Street is over 100 years old (it opened in 1893). During the mid 1980's to early 1990's, there was a lot of collecting that took place between the Upper New Street and Lower Street Quarries in an area that is affectionately referred to by some as "Middle New Street". The majority of the specimens from this area are still labeled as being found at Upper New Street even though they were not found in the quarry itself. Nonetheless, this is one of the most famous Trap Rock quarries in New Jersey and is probably most famous for its amazing and unique Prehnite casts after Anhydrite (sometimes called "fingers" or "snakeheads"). This piece does not feature any Prehite, but it is a very attractive Stilbite/Calcite association specimen for the locality. It features aesthetic, sharp, lustrous, white to beige colored sheaves of Stilbite -some of which form classic "bow tie"-shaped groups up to 2.0 cm - associated with pale golden rhombic Calcite up to 1.0 on matrix. A great Trap Rock display specimen from this significant New Jersey locality.