Fluorescent Minerals More New Jersey pieces Here is another multi-colored beauty. Under SW UV the willemite is green, the clinohedrite is orange, and the hardystonite is blue (sometimes called a purple/blue). Hardystonite and clinohedrite were only mined from the Franklin mine in Sussex County, New Jersey. Clinohedrite is often found with hardystonite. While hardystonite is not considered a rare Franklin mineral, it is definitely not common. If you go to the Franklin mine and dig in the Buckwheat dump behind the mine, you may find a piece of hardystonite. Generally, you will find calcite, willemite, and occasionally hydrozincite and a group of non-fluorescent minerals. In the past, once a year, the Trotter dump, across the street, was opened to diggers belonging to mineral clubs. While there was some neat material to be found there, the only reported finds of hardystonite are bits and pieces mixed into concrete that can sometimes be found on the ground. The concrete was made from dump material and used to build structures in the area 50 years ago.

Hardystonite is named for the township in which the Franklin mine is located. It is called Hardyston Township. Here are several other variations of hardystonite, some dark, some light, and one containing large patches of zincite. All fluoresce SW.

The piece to the left below is hardystonite, esperite, and willemite. The esperite on the right is a beauty.

Here are some great examples of different and rare Sterling Hill mine willemites that came out of a collection gathered by miner, John Remyias who worked at the Sterling Hill mine for 50 years. Below left has troostite (brown willemite) and black franklinite in an almost non-fluorescent calcite. The piece on the right has rare black willemite crystals in it. These black crystals are magnetic.

More rare willemites - yellow willemite - on the left. The piece on the right has gemmy brown and green willemite (the face has been polished) found at the Mill site in Franklin.

The piece below to the left has a rare gemmy yellow-green willemite. The one to the right has rare, radiating willemite. Both were from older collections of rare willemites recovered from the Franklin mine many years ago. The radiating willemite has a very long-lasting phosphorescence once the UV lamp is shut off.

A few artists have created works in fluorescent sands. Since I wrote a book on Halley's Comet, I really lucked out purchasing this 1986 work by an unknown artist in the Ogdensburg area. It is made with willemite, calcite, franklinite sands. The left photo is regular light and the right photo is SW UV light.

New Jersey Fluorescents, page 1

Even More New Jersey Fluorescents, page 3

New Jersey and Other Fluorescents, page 4

Foreign Fluorescents, page 5

Fluorescent Links, books, etc, page 6

More Rare Fluorescents, page 7

Fluorescent Apatites, page 7a

Fluorescent Apatites, page 7b

Fluorescent Calcites, page 7c

Fluorescent Calcites, page 7d

More Rare Fluorescents, page 8

Fluorescent Minerals for Sale, page 9

Fluorescent Minerals for Sale, page 9a

Fluorescent Minerals for Sale, page 9b

Fluorescent Minerals for Sale, page 10

Fluorescent Minerals for Sale, page 10a

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Fluorescent Minerals for Sale, page 12a