Witherite

Unknown Owner

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One of the American classics from a previous generation, this is a superb example of this very rare Witherite find from 1975-1976, found as the deposit was being mined for Baryte by Nation Lead's Baroid Division between 1947 and 1976. This rich specimen consists of nearly two dozen bladed, translucent to transparent crystals to 4 cm across and is among the best quality and form I have seen for the locality : and honestly, many who know the best of them do believe that these rare Arkansas Witherites are the best of species as they are much more sharply crystallized than most Illinois or English examples. It is a remarkable specimen, almost 50 years out of the ground with numerous, very lustrous, bladed, pseudohexagonal crystals. The main crystals are all complete with only minor contacting of crystals around the periphery. This is a significant piece from this find and a significant specimen for what is generally a rare species, worldwide. We have handled only a few great ones over the years, all from the collections of the friends who collected them (Al Kidwell and Art Smith). This one, surely came from Al or Art to their friends Bill and Anne Cook they were friendly competitors and contemporaries. It is in the top percentile of what is known to still exist, today, and seems a safe rarity as it's been 50 years, with no further finds.