Neptunite was only discovered during this past century and is of rare occurrence. Its most famous specimens come from the wonderful deposits at San Benito County in California. This site contains natrolite veins in a serpentinite rock. Embedded in the pure white natrolite are the sapphire blue benitoite and the black prismatic crystals of neptunite. The assemblage is a classic among collectors and specimens with all three minerals are much sought after. Neptunite is named after the Roman god of the sea, Neptune. Crystals are well formed and typically show multiple secondary faces. The flashes of red that appear to come right from the center of the crystal are a nice added touch to this rare and interesting mineral.