{"title":"Selenite","description":"\u003cp\u003eSelenite is the transparent, glassy variety of \u003cstrong\u003egypsum\u003c\/strong\u003e (calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO₄·2H₂O), prized by collectors for its silky luster, perfect cleavage, and glowing translucency that gives it its name — from the Greek word for the moon. Distinguished from fibrous satin spar gypsum and massive alabaster, true selenite grows as bladed or tabular crystals, often twinned or in radiating rosettes. Its defining locality is the \u003cstrong\u003eNaica Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e in Chihuahua, Mexico, home to the legendary Cave of the Crystals, where beams of water-clear selenite exceeding 10-12 meters in length formed over hundreds of thousands of years in mineral-rich water held at a stable 55-60°C. Nearby \u003cstrong\u003eSanta Eulalia\u003c\/strong\u003e has also produced outstanding gemmy selenite, while the broader Naica district remains the benchmark against which all other selenite is judged.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond Mexico, selenite and its evaporite-formed relatives appear across classic worldwide localities. The \u003cstrong\u003eGreat Salt Plains of Oklahoma\u003c\/strong\u003e are famous for hourglass selenite crystals with sand and iron-oxide inclusions, designated the state crystal; the \u003cstrong\u003eRed River Floodway\u003c\/strong\u003e near Winnipeg, Manitoba, yields lustrous water-clear and yellow selenite clusters, and \u003cstrong\u003eSalinas de Otuma\u003c\/strong\u003e in Ica, Peru produces striking golden, fluorescent gypsum. European material of note comes from the sulfur mines of \u003cstrong\u003eAgrigento\u003c\/strong\u003e in Sicily, the salt deposits of \u003cstrong\u003eLubin\u003c\/strong\u003e in Poland, and \u003cstrong\u003eMaramureș\u003c\/strong\u003e in Romania, while historic Roman lapis specularis window-glass gypsum was quarried in Italy itself. The famous rosette habit known as desert rose or selenite rose — flattened, sand-included blades fanning into a flower shape — is collected from the \u003cstrong\u003eSahara Desert\u003c\/strong\u003e of Morocco and Algeria, the Samalayuca desert near Chihuahua, and localities in Saudi Arabia and Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelenite forms in evaporite settings — shallow marine basins, saline lakes, playas, and gypsum-saturated cave systems — wherever calcium- and sulfate-rich water evaporates slowly enough to allow oversized, well-ordered crystals to nucleate and grow undisturbed. This slow, stable process is exactly what produced the giant Naica beams, and it also explains the mineral's extreme softness (Mohs 2) and its tendency to dehydrate toward anhydrite under heat. Collectors seek selenite for its optical clarity, dramatic crystal size, striated faces, twinning, and the sheer variety of habits it presents, from museum-grade Naica blades and Oklahoma hourglass crystals to sculptural desert roses — making it one of the most visually compelling and scientifically instructive species in any mineral collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fa16-gesso-cina-0","title":"GYPSUM – Massive 30cm Transparent Crystal, Qinglong Mine, Guizhou, China","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn outstanding gypsum specimen from the celebrated Qinglong Mine in Guizhou Province, China — a locality renowned among collectors for producing some of the finest, clearest selenite-variety gypsum crystals outside of Naica, Mexico. This piece is dominated by a single crystal of exceptional length, showing well-defined faces, a glassy vitreous luster and remarkable clarity typical of top-grade Chinese gypsum. Completely natural and undamaged in its formation, it is a striking statement piece equally suited to a serious mineralogical collection or a dramatic display setting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 300 x 193 x 126 mm (30 x 19.3 x 12.6 cm)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3180 g (3.18 kg)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Qinglong Mine (Dachang Mine), Qinglong County, Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45456732455021,"sku":null,"price":790.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20260325182807.jpg?v=1786973127"},{"product_id":"rz-gesso-toscana-0","title":"GYPSUM – Transparent Selenite Crystal, Roccastrada, Tuscany, Italy","description":"\u003cp\u003eA transparent gypsum crystal in its selenite variety, showing excellent clarity and clearly defined crystal faces. This piece comes from Roccastrada, in the Grosseto Province of Tuscany, a locality known mainly for large-scale industrial extraction rather than collector-grade aesthetic specimens, which adds to the rarity and mineralogical interest of this find.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 134 x 80 x 54 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 449 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Roccastrada, Grosseto Province, Tuscany, Italy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45608733737069,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20260714175916.jpg?v=1786520984"},{"product_id":"tano-gesso-toscana-0","title":"GYPSUM – Dark Grey Selenite Cluster, Anthropogenic Origin, Rosignano, Italy","description":"\u003cp\u003eA striking cluster of Gypsum (Selenite variety) crystals in an unusual dark grey color, composed of numerous well-developed crystals of generous size. This specimen is a neoformation gypsum, having crystallized inside industrial brine pipelines at the historic Solvay soda ash plant, giving it a distinctive genetic history and strong aesthetic and mineralogical appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 201 x 121 x 68 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1098 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rosignano Marittimo, Livorno Province, Tuscany, Italy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45737222996077,"sku":null,"price":139.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20260810231102.jpg?v=1788063241"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/selenite.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}