Andradite: golden brown
Willemite: purple ("grape"), also gray
Franklinite: black
I bought this specimen from Nick Zipco back when he used to sell minerals from his trunk in the parking lot of the Franklin museum. I believe it was in 1999 that I bought this. Unfortunately, Nick's health began to fail and he passed away just a few years ago. When Nick was still alive, I did have the privilege of seeing his Franklin collection, and I must say it was stunning.
This specimen came from the old Franklin Mine. Similar pieces have come from the Mill Site, the Trotter, and the now-extinct Parker Dump. Once in a great while this sort of fluorapatite assemblage turns up on the Buckwheat.
Fluorapatite in this assemblage was once known as "svabite" and is still called that by some collectors. Modern analyses suggest that most of this material is indeed fluorapatite, though like svabite it sometimes contains arsenic. It fluoresces a peach color under SW UV.
Specimen is about 3.5 inches across and is fairly heavy for its size. Photo by C. Thorsten.
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