Baryte on Calcite

Unknown Owner

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This is one of the most dramatic, fine examples of the material that has come my way. I have long known of the piece, sold to collector Tom Hall after a particularly fine discovery here in 1999, by the dealer who collected it. Tom regarded it as the best in his size range, at the time (and I agreed). The piece features a single golden-amber-colored crystal, approximately 3.5 x 5/6," set starkly upon gorgeous contrasting, calcite-coated matrix. This is not a repaired specimen, as are so many from the locality in this size range. The piece also has a crystal with high luster and color throughout, and a superb termination with luster (many large crystals show etching and poor terminations from this locality). The specimen was exhibited at the 2008 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in the American Gem & Mineral Treasures exhibition, and is pictured as the LEAD specimen to the chapter on page 249 of the book published in conjunction with the show: American Mineral Treasures. It is also pictured on page 212 of the Mineralogical Record, Volume 39, No. 3 (May June). From the Tom Hall collection, and he purchased it from the collector directly in 1999. Tom is a longtime collector, recently retired from working, who since the 1960s has specialized in colorful miniatures and small cabinet pieces of high quality, trying to obtain the best he could in this size range from major, classic finds. His collection was always small but filled with choice beauties such as this. The graded background shot is a Jeff Scovil photo, the one used in the book as stated above.