Pale Blue Sapphire Crystal in Matrix from the Limecrest Quarry, Sparta, NJ

Description

This specimen was collected by me about 36 years ago, at the Limecrest Quarry in Sparta, NJ.  The quarry was only open for collectors one day a year, and then only for members of a local mineral club.  It measures about 5" x 4" x 2.5" and weighs about 2.4 lbs.  There are at least three areas in this piece where blue sapphire crystal is apparent.  There is also calcite, a small amount of chalcopyrite, and a metallic-looking crystalline material, which may be graphite.  It may be worthwhile to break this rather large piece into smaller pieces, as that often reveals entire crystals that were unexposed in the intact piece.  Also dissolving away the calcite with acetic acid or dilute HCl may also reveal other crystals
I believe they had blasted shortly before we arrived, as there was a huge pile of loose stone and in the debris, I collected this and a few other sapphire containing specimens.  The quarry is now closed to collectors and had been flooded, but I understand that the new owners are pumping out the water and may begin mining again.  I doubt that collecting at this site will ever be possible again.
Thomas Edison used to buy quantities of stone from this quarry for his cement and concrete business, through his Edison Portland Cement Company.