Yooperlite Crystal Wand / Point 67g 10

£26.59

Yooperlite Crystal Wand / Point weighing 67g and measuring 95:22:20mm. These stones have only just been discovered and are new onto the market. No one is sure how many there are. So get them whilst you can. Photographed under a UV torch.

A Michigan man made the discovery of a lifetime when he stumbled on glowing rocks on the beaches of Lake Superior. The rocks, which he named ?Yooperlites? emit an eerie glow, appearing to be partially molten rock. Rintamaki, a gem and mineral dealer, made this discovery after hunting for rocks in Michigan?s Upper Peninsula, bringing with him a black light. The black light helps illuminate the glowing rocks, which he says litter the Lake Superior beach. Rintamaki self-named the rocks ?Yooperlites? in honor of the endearing nickname ?Yooper? for people who live in Michigan?s Upper Peninsula. The Yooperlites were investigated by both Michigan Tech University and the University of Saskatchewan. They determined the rocks are ?syenite clasts containing fluorescent sodalite.? To break this down, the rock is made up of fragments of coarse-grained igneous rocks, with a similar composition to granite. What makes these rocks special is the inclusion of fluorescent sodalite. The mineral sodalite will fluoresce under longwave ultraviolet illumination, creating the glowing yellowish orange veins of Yooperlites. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis at Michigan Technological University confirmed the fluorescent mineral is sodalite. While syenites are common in Michigan, these are the first documented sodalites found in the state of Michigan. The research team believes the Yooperlites are not native to Michigan but were originally sourced from the Coldwell Alkaline Complex in Ontario, Canada. The Yooperlites were then likely transported south via continental glaciation and made their way into Lake Superior. Sodalite was first discovered in Greenland in 1811 but became popular after the gemstone was found in Ontario, Canada in 1891. The mineral is a deep blue color and visually looks similar to lazurite and lapis lazuli. Since discovering Yooperlites Rinktamaki has upgraded his UV light equipment and now books tours to help people find their own Yooperlite on Michigan?s shores in addition to selling them on eBay. Rinktamaki hopes that he can bring people from around the world and of all ages to discover Yooperlites and other incredible rocks and minerals that are found along Michigan?s shores. From Forbes.