Stilbite

Stilbite from the New Jersey trap-rock quarries — peach and cream bowtie crystal sprays formed in basalt cavities, one of the classic zeolites of the Watchung Mountains.

Inside Stilbite

Look for the bowtie — it’s one of the easiest twinned crystals to spot with the naked eye.

Mineral Family
Zeolite (hydrated Ca-Na aluminosilicate)
Mohs Hardness
3.5–4 — handle gently
Signature Habit
Twinned “bowtie” sheaf clusters

The story: Zeolites like stilbite are among the last minerals to crystallize inside a cooling lava flow, forming in the gas bubbles (vesicles) left behind as the rock solidified. Stilbite typically grows as twinned, sheaf-shaped crystals that fan out from a shared point — the classic ‘bowtie’ every New Jersey trap-rock collector learns to recognize on sight.

Why collectors chase it: The bowtie twinning is crystallography you can see without a loupe, and the pearly luster on its cleavage faces catches light in a way few other minerals do.

Care: Softer than quartz and cleaves easily — support pieces by their matrix rather than gripping the crystal sheaves, and avoid drops.

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