Indian Minerals an Zeolites for sale- Fluorite, Cavansite, Pentagonite, Apophyllite and more!

I would probably not go to India solely to buy minerals, but I was there just after Tucson for non-mineral reasons and I figured why not see what was available? I will admit that Indian minerals have never been a particular favorite of mine, but I suppose this had more to do with the overwhelming abundance and low quality of what was available than the minerals themselves. Having had the opportunity now to visit some of the source locations and see the effort that goes into preparing these minerals, I must say that I now have an increased respect for what it takes to bring these specimens to market.

The flood of Indian minerals largely owes its existence to a unique set of economic conditions in India: rampant growth has created a demand for road fill and construction material (hence increased quarrying) while abundant poverty has made collecting and preparing the specimens possible. In most Western countries, the cost of halting a mining operation can be measured in the tens of thousands of dollars per hour, so it is unlikely that a company will stop to allow specimen collection. In India however, where a fresh pocket can mean a little extra income, steps are taken to preserve any specimens that are discovered. I will also add that preparing these specimens, especially the geodes, is a very long and time consuming process. If it were not for the abundance of the minerals and cheap labor, these things would be much more pricey. After all, it is worth remembering that many of the zeolites that make it abroad for sale are essentially world class specimens of their species.

All this of course comes at a huge environmental cost-- near Nasik you can see entire mountains that have been cut to half of their original size (see image second from left below for a less drastic example.) With the lax regulations and disfigured landscapes however, come many beautiful specimens. I have included selections from what I brought back below.


Click to see larger image	Click to see larger image	Click to see larger image	Click to see larger image
A worker on the quarry ledge (~100 ft drop). What now, OSHA?	An old Hindu temple; note how the mountain in the back ground has been significantly cut away by roadfill quarries.	A weathered pocket in a quarry wall... my hand is for scale.	Blasing at Wagholi, note the blasting shelter below the cloud for scale.

IN001 Fluorite with Julgoldite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
9.2x 5.7x 4.9 cm

$2900

An amazing specimen consisting of three gemmy fluorite hemispheres on a fully terminated calcite scalenohedron. The calcite itself is perched on the end of a quartz spire, and is absolutely undamaged. The main edges of the calcite are accented by brown lines, though what mineral is causing this I do not know. One of the fluorite balls also has inclusions of what I suspect to be julgoldite; the julgoldite inclusions reach 1.5 cm, about as good as it gets for non-pseudomorph examples of the species.

I have seen many examples of yellow fluorite from India, virtually all occur in the typical “fried egg” configuration, with a single yellow hemisphere on a plate of whitish quartz.

(the Indian dealers then trim the matrixes into rounded shapes that give them a distinctly egg-like appearance.) This one is very different, truly exceptional in that its configuration and lack of damage make it stand out among the tens of thousands of Indian fluorites to have hit the market.

This is a very beautiful and interesting specimen, the sort of playful combination that can only come from India.

IN002 Pentagonite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.5x 5.6x 6.4 cm

$600

A very large pentagonite spray from one of the quarries outside of Wagholi, India. I have seen many of these over the last few years, but to find crystals of this size is truly exceptional. Whereas cavanste tends to form bowties or rosettes, pentagonite tends to form elongated “Christmas trees.” Because these things are blasted out of the ground, subsequently trimmed with hammers, and then trimmed again with an electric saw, most of the clusters get broken. This one survived relatively intact—only a small portion at the bottom of the cluster has been sheared off. Regardless, to find a pentagonite of this size is very, very unusual, even given the quantities of material that have been produced since the original find a few years back.

As an interesting side note, the quarry where cavansite is found is located in a huge complex containing several very large quarries. Cavansite and pentagonite have only been found in any appreciable quantity in part of one of those quarries, even though all are located within approximately 2 square kilometers of land.

IN003 Cavansite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
8.0x 6.5x 3.7 cm

$480

A nice small cabinet cavansite specimen, of the best color. Cavansite is no longer as rare as it was 15 years ago, but the fact that this piece has top color, multiple rosettes, and no damage makes it considerably better than the typcal specimens.

IN004 Cavansite WITH PENTAGONITE(!!!)

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
4.8x 2.2x 2.4 cm

$390

Despite the fact that they are found in the same part of the same quarry, and that they share the same chemistry, cavansite and pentagonite almost never occur on the same specimen. In fact, I have probably seen fewer than 5 other specimens where the two species are together, and this is one of only 2 I can recall where the two minerals are actually in physical contact with each other.

This is without a doubt among the best two pieces I have seen of this exceedingly rare combination; both clusters display the top color for their species and very good form.

As a specimen of only pentagonite or cavansite, this would be nothing special, however the presence of both makes this one in literally tens of thousands.

IN005 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
11.5x 8.3x 3.4 cm

$500

Fluorite from India is fairly unique, in that during its formation it seems to have cooled very rapidly, leaving no chance for good crystals to form. The result are these globules of cryptocrystaline fluorite, usually over quartz or calcite. These have been coming out of India for some time now, however the red specimens are few and far between. I had the fortune of being in India at about the same time that a new find of them was made.

Usually Indian fluorite is yellow, the red/orange color is caused by minute hematite inclusions. This color is quite unlike that of any other fluorite that I can think of—it lacks the pink hues of the Alpine material is somewhat orange, and certainly has a much more unusual form.

Red fluorite is probably one of 3 Indian items that remain fairly “rare”… the other two being yugawaralite and good powellite. Even goosecreekite, epistilbite, cavansite and pentagonite are not too hard to get these days…

I have included the image below the description to show that this piece is not too 3-dimensional, though it still makes for a stunning display of a very unusual fluorite.

IN006 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
9.7x 6.9x 6.0 cm

$480

Numerous orangish-red fluorite balls with rhombic calcite in a quartz vug.

IN007 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
8.8x 7.2x 6.2 cm

$475

This specimen has the deepest red of any that I purchased, with ballf of fluorite coating calcite crystals in a partial quartz geode.

IN008 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.4x 5.4x 9.4 cm

$275

Another specimen containing red fluorite. This piece is a geode, attractively opened from two sides to leave a perfectly exposed cluster of calcite. The calcite is peppered with small globules of red fluorite.

IN009 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
8.2x 5.0x 3.1 cm

$195

Although Indian specimens are everywhere these days, some minerals from the country are still rather uncommon.

Botryoidal red fluorite is one of those "harder to get" minerals, and this is a good example, with several red balls on a quartz coated matrix.

IN010 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
10.6x 6.1x 2.3 cm

$190

Admittedly this is not the most well balanced piece, and there is some peripheral damage, but I decided to purchase and post it simply because I found this combination to be interesting. This piece consists of a chalcedony coated matrix, over which several deep red and fairly sizable fluorite balls have deposited. I use the word “deposited” as opposed to “grown” because when it comes to these Indian fluorites, there really isn’t much crystal growth… it is more of a rapid cool, and that is what gives these fluorites their distinctive appearance.

Over these fluorites has crystallized a layer of clear Apophyllite. For some reason the Apophyllite has only crystallized over the fluorite and not the rest of the matrix. The end result is that the fluorites look as if they have been iced over… it kinds of reminds me of cherries or some ramdom berries after freezing rain.

IN011 Fluorite on Calcite, Quartz

Mahodari Quarry, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.5x 3.7x 2.1 cm

$150

Although Indian specimens are everywhere these days, some minerals from the country are still rather uncommon.

Botryoidal red fluorite is one of those "harder to get" minerals, and this is a striking example, with numerous red fluorite balls on a large calcite crystal, which itself is in a quartz-lined vug.

As is typical of virtually all Indian minerals, the specimen has been carved out of hard quarry rock, and the traces of this are left behind in the horizontal lines visible at the leftmost part of the specimen.

IN012 Prehnite ps. Laumontite

Kandivali Quarry, Mumbai Area, Maharashtra Prov., India
15.0x 11.7x 6.2 cm

$100

This is not rare, and the price takes this into account. I am listing this piece because quite frankly, there will be no more. These prehnite epimorphs after laumontite have been available for years, however the quarry where they are found is located in Kandivali, part of the greater Mumbai (Bombay) area. As real estate prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, land that was very cheap not too long ago is now worth millions, and that includes the quarries. Kandivali has been purchased by real estate developers, and in the near future there will probably be construction over the site.

As a side note, this is one of the strangest things about Mumbai. With the exception of South Bombay, the oldest part of the city organized by the British and today maintained as a tourist center. Decades upon decades of construction and squatting with little city planning have left the city disorganized, and rising land values have created a paradox wherein very poor people are living (or renting or squatting) on land worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is not uncommon to see luxury highrises surrounded by shanties with the ubiquitous blue tarp roofs, with children defecating in the streets literally meters in front of million dollar condos. The day before I wrote this description, a large fire burnt 2000 shanties to the ground… officially it was an accident, but the land was slated for development and some people have questioned how accidental the fire actually was. Given Indian beaurocracy, it can take years to secure eviction orders for squatters, an opportune blaze can hasten the process.

IN013 Thompsonite

Aurangabad Forrest, Aurangabad, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.5x 4.3x 3.3 cm

$110

These specimens were found a few years ago, and as far as I can tell, none has been found since. These are some of the world’s best thompsonites, and this is from one of the few recorded discoveries of the material in India.

This piece consists of a single, complete ball of the mineral on matrix..

IN014 Thompsonite

Aurangabad Forrest, Aurangabad, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
4.2x 3.3x 2.8 cm

$85

This piece consists of a single, complete ball of the mineral on matrix.

IN015 Epistilbite

Aurangabad Forrest, Aurangabad, Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
5.6x 3.8x 3.4 cm

$85

These specimens were found a few years ago, and as far as I can tell, none has been found since. These ar

IN016 Pentagonite in Calcite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India

4.6x 3.7x 2.3 cm

$135

These specimens were found a few years ago, and as far as I can tell, none has been found since. These ar

A layer of yellowish calcite crystals included by pentagonite. Older material a dealer found in his shed….

IN017 Stilbite

Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India

11.3x 8.3x 4.5 cm

$70

A very nice and rather large stilbite bow from India. These bow-like formations are (to my mind) the most aesthetic form of stilbite, and are probably the most sought after habit of the species. Because there is so much of it though, it doesn’t take much seeking to find one…. This piece is large, and a very good example of the species, but 1) I visited the source and 2) it’s stilbite…. so it’s cheap.

IN018 Cavansite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
7.8x 2.6x 2.3 cm

$225

I remember in the mid-90’s a popular internet dealer posted a page of cavansite… single sub1 cm rosettes (off matrix) were selling for prices up to $500. Today those same specimens would sell for $1… and something like this is now affordable.

IN019 Cavansite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
10.3x 4.5x 2.6 cm

$395

A nice cabinet cavansite specimen. There is a bit of damage , but the price takes this into account and there is a lot of cavansite on this specimen.

Cavansite is no longer as rare as it was 15 years ago, but the fact that this piece has top color, multiple rosettes, and no damage makes it considerably better than the average.

IN020 Cavansite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
6.8x 3.4x 2.8 cm

$85

An unusually dark blue cavansite rosette composed of numerous blady crystals on matrix.

IN021 Pentagonite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
6.2x 4.1x 2.8 cm

$85

An unusually dark blue cavansite rosette composed of numerous blady crystals on matrix.

IN022 Pentagonite

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
10.4x 4.1x 6.8 cm

$145

A large matrix specimen of pentagbite on matrix. This piece has not been trimmed, and is an example of what these specimens look like right after being blasted out of the quarry. The main cluster was protected thanks to the shape of the surrounding matrix, as a result many of its longer crystals are intact. The whole cluster measures approximately 1 inch.

IN023 Okenite on Amethyst

Wagholi Quarry Complex, Near Poona, Maharashtra Prov., India
19.0x 6.1x 5.0 cm

$200

(Repaired)

A large cabinet specimen of okenite in an amethyst geode. The specimen has been repaired, but I purchased the piece anyway because it is unusual to see a specimen where the okenites are both complete and well displayed. I also liked it because it very clearly shows that this is a geode-- I have seen many flat plates, but fewer geodes.

I will admit that I never really paid much attention to this stuff at past shows, however seeing the amount of effort that goes into extracting and preparing these things really gave me a greater appreciation for indian minerals as a whole. Geodes are among the most labor intensive. These occur bubbles in the quarry wall, and it is necessary to dig into the wall, all the way around the desired pocket, in order to extract it. Once the pocket has been extracted, it is then necessary to trim it down to thin out the walls; this is done with a combination of hand and electric tools. Given the amount of labor involved and force required to trim the hard basalt, it is no wonder the piece broke. It still remains an excellent example of this material, in my opinion.

IN024 Apophylilte, Stilbite, Chalcedony

Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
15.0x 7.1x 5.0 cm

$275

A large cabinet specimen, this one a chalcedony stalactite covered with many lightly colored apophyliltes and stilbites.

I generally stay away from these ightly colored apophyllites; the only exceptions I make are for these interesting stalactitic formations. All in all, this is a very beautiful specimen, with an almost organic apparance.

IN025 Apophylilte, Stilbite, Chalcedony

Near Nasik, Maharashtra Prov., India
11.0x 597x 4.8 cm

$165

A large cabinet specimen, this one a chalcedony stalactite covered with many lightly colored apophyliltes and stilbites.