Siderite with Quartz

Unknown Owner

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A classic, old-time and superb combination specimen composed of large siderite rhombs associated with gemmy quartz from France. These came out in the 1800s and then again in some small pockets later. However, this is the old style and as it was in the Smithsonian, we know it to be the older material. The iron mines of the famous French locality of Allevard, Rhône-Alpes, where pieces like this originate, date to the 1500s. Siderite such as this with sharp form and golden color, was treasured among Victorian era mineral collectors. They remain old classics, today, not really equalled in style from any modern find. The lustrous, translucent sharply formed siderite rhombs are a brownish olive-green and show partially stepped faces on some crystals. The siderites range in size from 0.7 to 2.3 cm on edge. They rest on water-clear, glassy, almost needle-like quartz crystals from 5 mm to 2 cm in length and dominate the one side of the piece and are mostly complete. There is a trace amount of edge wear on a few of the siderites at the periphery that affect the excellent aesthetics very little. A great French siderite-quartz combination piece! Labels include Jack's JH2267, and he purchased it from Al McGuinness in the 1970s (his label notes that it is from the Smithsonian). Indeed, B9888 is glued/painted on the backside and this corresponds to the Carl Bosch Collection (1874-1940), of which you can read a great deal about. He was one of the greatest collectors of all time, with emphasis on the best quality money could buy (he essentially invented modern fertilizer that feeds the world...so money was no object). Featured in the book Addicted to Beauty: The Legacy of Jack Halpern (Mineralogical Record, March 2025) on page 144, fig. 146.