Prehnite Mineral Cluster — Translucent Green, Botryoidal Formation, 32g — Field Find

THE FIND
A natural prehnite cluster, 32g — soft green to yellow-green, translucent, with the botryoidal (grape-like) formation habit that makes prehnite immediately recognizable. A quietly elegant specimen with an almost glassy internal glow.

WHAT WE KNOW
Prehnite is a phyllosilicate mineral (calcium aluminum silicate) typically found in volcanic and metamorphic environments, forming in cavities and veins where mineral-rich hydrothermal fluids slowly crystallize. Its characteristic botryoidal habit — rounded, grape-like clusters of small crystalline masses — is one of the most distinctive formation styles in mineralogy. Color ranges from pale yellow-green to deeper apple green depending on iron content. Delicate inclusions of epidote or quartz may be present within the specimen. This piece weighs 32g. Locality not independently verified.

THE STORY
Prehnite was the first mineral to be named after a person — Colonel Hendrik von Prehn, a Dutch mineralogist and military officer who brought specimens from the Cape of Good Hope to Europe in the 1770s. It was described and named in 1788, making it a landmark in the history of mineralogy. The botryoidal habit that characterizes most prehnite specimens is produced by the radial growth of fibrous crystals from multiple nucleation points — each rounded mass is a cluster of crystals growing outward from a center, producing the characteristic grape-like surface.

WHY WE CHOSE IT
The translucence and color on this piece are genuine — the soft internal glow that good prehnite produces is visible in the photographs. At 32g it’s a compact specimen with enough visual character to hold its own in a mineral display.

ABOUT THIS PIECE
Type: Prehnite mineral cluster (botryoidal)
Weight: 32g
Locality: Not independently verified
Condition: Natural specimen — please review photographs for color, translucence, and natural variation.
Quantity: 1 — one of a kind.