Phosphophyllite
Unknown Owner
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Phosphophyllite is the Holy Grail, so long as I have been collecting minerals now for 36 years. In any size, they are the stuff of dreams. Pieces like this came out of Bolivia in the 1940s or 1950s, and so few survive. This is a special specimen because it is a fully and balanced thumbnail with multiple crystals and matrix for contrast. Most of them are simply singles, twinned or not, just singles. This stands out from every other thumbnail I have seen, some of them quite a bit more expensive as well. It is, for the person who appreciates this level of rarity, one of the ultimate thumbnail specimens. The color and gemminess are excellent and better in person. This was the best specimen from a small private thumbnail collection we have acquired and was said to have been purchased from Peter Bancroft in the 1990s. Peter brought a number of them back to the USA in the 1960s from his travels, and sold quite a few of this stash, later, in the early 1990s to California locals.
Product details
SpeciesPhosphophyllite
SizeThumbnail
Dimensions1.8 x 1.8 x 1.1 cm
Added on10/23/2024
LocalityBolivia, Potosí, Cerro de Potosí
Known provenance
| Date | Collector | Acquisition price |
|---|---|---|
| 11/2024 | Unknown Owner | $15,000.00 |
| — | The Arkenstone | Not disclosed |
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Mineral guide
Learn about Phosphophyllite
rare sea-green to mint-blue crystals with glassy luster; fragile (hardness 3.5, perfect cleavage), prized Bolivian specimens and micromounts.Regional guide
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