Minerals from India

This page contains mineral specimens from India.  It is our goal to offer all specimen sizes and types, in all price ranges, so there should be something for anyone from the beginning to professional collector below.  All specimens are imported directly from Mumbai (Bombay), India, so we feel we can offer the best quality specimens at most competitive prices, and have access to new finds or other requests as soon as they are available in India.  Watch this page for frequent updates! 

For more information, consult the Jan/Feb 2003 The Mineralogical Record.

    Click on Mineral Name below if looking for a specific mineral from India.  "New Finds" are in their own section and not included in individual mineral sections.  Make sure to visit each section as there may be a mineral type in more than one section, even though it may not be the dominant mineral on the specimen.

Apophyllite   Cavansite/Pentagonite   Stilbite   Calcite   Scolecite   Okenite   Gyrolite    Heulandite

Fluorite   Celadonite (in Stilbite or Heulandite)   Combinations   Rare Minerals   New Finds

Click on the image to see full specimen descriptions and additional pictures.

Sizes provided are in centimeters (cm) on this page.  One inch equals 2.54 cm (example:  10cm is about 4 inches).  Centimeter and Inches Equivalencies are included in each specimen's description page.

AUGUST 2011 UPDATE - THIS PAGE ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE WEBSITE WILL BE UNDERGOING A MAJOR OVERHAUL AND UPDATE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATIENCE.  WE HAVE NEW ACQUISITIONS TO POST AND WILL DO SO AS SOON AS TIME ALLOWS.

Apophyllite:  Apophyllite is one of the most common minerals in the Deccan Basalts in India.  The color is most frequently clear/colorless, but it can also occur as yellow, red, or the most sought after green. 

Cavansite/Pentagonite:  Since the late 1980s, cavansites have been one of the most popular minerals from India due to their intense electric blue color.  In the late 1990s, pentagonite (related in structure to cavansite) was positively identified and has renewed interest in Indian mineral collectors in recent years.

Stilbite:  Another very common zeolite from India is stilbite.  Stilbite occurs in colors from colorless, cream, white, pink, peach, orange, red, and green (inc. celadonite most likely) among other colors.  The stilbite "bow-ties" are most sought after by collectors along with aesthetic crystal groupings in association with other minerals.  Labels will include "Stilbite/Stellerite" as any specimen, unless confirmed by positive identification, could be either stilbite or stellerite (see Ottens 2003).

Calcite:  Calcite comes in many forms from India.  The most spectacular calcites have come from the metro limits of Bombay and the excellent yellow/clear transparent crystals from Jalgaon in recent years.  Fine calcites continue to emerge from especially the eastern production areas of the Deccan basalts to this day.

Scolecite:  Fine scolecite crystals (both individual crystals and in clusters) are a common occurrence in India, especially in Nasik around the Mahodori River quarries.  The crystals are fragile but we can ship them to anywhere safely unless otherwise noted.

Okenite:  Okenite is one of the most popular minerals from India and even though many of the most productive areas are now closed (notably in the Kandivali and Kurar areas of Bombay city), new okenite finds have been made farther east away from the city.  Over the years the most desireable specimens are the large vugs lined with okenites along with okenite on amethyst specimens from Shirdi.  We can safely ship these specimens in cotton to you to avoid damage.

Gyrolite:  Fine gyrolites were once very common specimens from India, but since most of the quarries in Bombay have closed (where the majority of the good gyrolites came from), this mineral is becoming less-frequently seen among many dealers in good specimens.  The most sought after gyrolites are those found in combination with okenites from Bombay and the intense forest green crystals, also from Bombay.

Heulandite:  One of the most common, if the most common, zeolite from India is heulandite.  Specimens were occasionally found in decent quality early on in specimen marketing in the 1970s and 1980s, but undoubtedly the best heulandites have come from Jalgaon in the last decade or so.  Fine heulandites of red, orange, and pink, among others, are continually found to this day in especially Jalgaon. 

See more heulandites in combination with other minerals in "Combination Specimens" two sections down.

Fluorite:  Since especially the late 1990s, several unique fluorite specimens have made their way on to the mineral market from India, most notably from the Mahodori Quarry in Nasik, but fluorites from other locations to the east and northeast of Bombay in Jalgaon have also been found.  Indian fluorites are anything but typical, as they are mostly rounded masses of crystals versus the classic cubic transparent crystals in varying colors seen at most other world-wide locations. 

Celadonite (in Stilbite or Heulandite):  In recent years, crystals of especially stilbite and heulandite have been found of a varying green color, from an intense medium green to very dark or nearly black crude green.  The green color is thought to be caused by celadonite (Ottens 2003).  The best specimens have been coming from around Shakur, northeast of Bombay.  While specimens are rather frequent now, this could easily be one of those finds that "comes and goes" and only infrequently encountered again. 

Combination Specimens:  Mineral combination specimens are among the most sought after of all specimens from India due to their aesethetics and multiple crystal forms in a single specimen.  Excellent combination specimens from India are among the most sought after of any mineral specimen type produced due to their beauty and consistent high quality. 

"Rare" Minerals:  While I do not like using the word "rare" to describe mineral specimens, this has been a commonly accepted procedure for many minerals in the Deccan Basalts of India.  Notable minerals to be included in this group include babingtonite, goosecreekite, natrolite, and yugawaralite.  We will post specimens as they come along from India, this will be a limited selection area!

New Finds:  Exciting potential is seen in the Deccan Basalts, both in recent times and in the future, for new mineral finds.  Due to India's expanding population and heavy use of basalt, especially for fill and road construction (Ottens 2003), quarrying will continue and many new quarries will undoubtedly open in the future as others close.  We will post new finds as we acquire them from India to this section - depending on the frequency this section may not change very often or will change frequently.

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