Name: Quartz (Japan Law Twin) on Cassiterite
Brand: The Arkenstone
Price: 2450 USD
Availability: InStock

Quartz (Japan Law Twin) on Cassiterite

Free shipping
Seller offers an extended return window of up to 30 days
Ships from Not specified

This quartz specimen from the Larson Quartz Collection is surprising on several levels: it has a fine optical quality Japan Law twin, most obviously (and of a quality one associates with Switzerland or Nepal, not with Bolivia!). Secondly, it has location - an old, important mining location known for hundreds of years. Lastly, it is actually perched on cassiterite, making it unique in my experience. This complete Japan Law twinned quartz is sitting on a crystallized matrix, which is a nice enough contrast - but a crystallized matrix of cassiterite is almost absurd! It has no repairs and is really snugly on there. The twin is just over 3 cm across and gem gem gem transparent with a sparkle hard to convey in photos. It is complete all around and has only a few tiny and trivial dings visible at close inspection but also, this has not been labbed as Bill is a purist and likes his minerals the way they come out. Mark Bandy, an American mineralogist in the early 1900s who had a large role in the collection of the Los Angeles County museum, and who discovered and brought out many new species in conjunction with his friend Sam Gordon on expeditions with the Philadelphia Academy, was also known for his extensive collection of Bolivian minerals. This collection, built during his time working in the country's mines in the 1930s and 1940s, ended up dispersed by the 1960s and we have seen specimens turn up time to time. This came from Evan Jones, who obtained it from specimens presumably obtained from Bandy by his father Bob Jones (we have seen many come through them). Larson bought this from Jones, and kept it for decades in his private and large quartz collection of nearly 500 pieces, on display in his shop The Collector (Fallbrook, CA) from the late 1970s until 2021 when we purchased it. A unique piece and one of the more memorable quartzes among hundreds in that collection for the association and aesthetic, with history as a bonus!