4.2" Nepheline and Schorlomite Garnet Association - Morocco

Nepheline and Schorlomite Garnet Association - Morocco #110193

This is a rare association of hexagonal nepheline (nephelite) crystals with schorlomite garnets, that was collected from the Meknes-Tafilet region of Morocco. The nepheline crystals are grey-green in color and formed from a matrix that's rich in black schorlomite garnets. This crystal association occurred in a vug (cavity) within the Tamazeght Mountain Range of Morocco.

The underside of this specimen has been stabilized with glue to prevent further cracking.

Andradite is a species of the garnet group, and although not as well-known as some other types of garnets, such as Almandine or pyrope, it is the most lustrous. It tends to be opaque, so most andradite is not gemstone-quality. It occurs in skarns developed in contact-metamorphosed impure limestones or calcic igneous rocks; in chlorite schists and serpentinites; and in alkalic igneous rocks, often titaniferous.

Andradite comes in three varieties: melanite, colored by titanium substitutions for iron in its formula; topazolite, a rare and yellow-green variety; and demantoid, a striking green variety that is one of the world's rarest and most valuable gemstones.

Garnets are nesosilicates with the general formula X3Y2(SiO4)3. There are many species of garnet, including pyrope, almandine, spessartine, uvarovite, andradite, and grossular (varieties of which are hessonite, cinnamon-stone and tsavorite). Garnets are found in a wide variety of colors including red, orange, yellow, green, purple, brown, blue, black, pink, and colorless, though reddish shades are the most common.

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