Thomsonite is a rare mineral in the zeolite family — the rarest, to be exact! It typically occurs in white, beige, pastel yellows, oranges, or grays, although most thomsonites display multiple hues in one gemstone!
Some variations of thomsonite occur in even more colours like varying shades of pinks, greens, and even black. It’s believed that over 170 different colour and pattern variations have been observed!
Thomsonite was first identified in material from Scotland in 1820. It is named for the Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson. The crystals tend to be long thin blades that typically form radial aggregates, and sometimes fans and tufts.
Thomsonite occurs with other zeolites in the amygdaloidal cavities of basaltic volcanic rocks, and occasionally in granitic pegmatites. Examples have been found in Faroe Islands, Scotland, USA, Canada, India and Russia.
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