Auction Win: Apophyllite (Iridescent!)

Locality: Nashik, Nashik Division, State of Mahārāshtra, India

Size: Miniature - 5.7 × 3 × 2.9 cm

Naturally Iridescent, you’ll notice a rainbow sheen across the crystal faces. Additionally, you’ll have crystal plane separation that causes more internal rainbows.

Apophyllite is a phyllosilicate mineral with the general formula KCa₄[Si₈O₂₀]F·8H₂O, most commonly found as fluorapophyllite-(K). Its name derives from the Greek words apo (away) and phyllos (leaf), reflecting how it peels into layers when heated. Collectors prize its clear, square-cross-section crystals, especially those from India’s Deccan Traps.

Nashik, located in the Nashik District of Maharashtra’s Nashik Division in India, is a renowned mining locality famous for its quarries that have produced 43 valid mineral species. The area is geologically significant for yielding notable specimens such as aragonite from the Nashik quarries, alongside calcite, quartz, powellite, stellerite, and other minerals found in local quarries like Dhindori Quarry. Collectors value Nashik for its diverse mineral assemblage and the quality of specimens extracted from its active quarry sites. Today, it remains an important destination for mineral enthusiasts seeking rare and well-formed crystals from this historically productive region.