Allophane (rare locality specimen) (ex Gary Weaver Collection)

Item Description

Allophane is found in many world localities, but rarely from the famous Kelly Mine in New Mexico. This hydrated aluminum silicate species is defined as amorphous (no crystal structure) and the listing on mindat.org states that its nano-sized particles have a ball-shaped morphology. Here we have an attractive specimen of this hard to find material featuring a layer of semi-spherical shaped groups of beautiful turquoise blue colored Allophane on matrix. The blue color is possibly caused by copper content. Upon close inspection, the little "balls" are actually somewhat gemmy. This is one of only a handful of pieces of this material that we've had to offer in the auctions, and would make a great addition to any suite of New Mexico minerals, worldwide silicates or oddities from famous locales. From the collection of Gary Weaver (1944-2019), an electrical engineer who worked for Hughes Aircraft in California. After retiring to Prescott, Arizona in the early 2000s, Gary rekindled his childhood love of minerals, amassing a collection of roughly 2000 specimens, focusing on localities in which he and his wife had lived or visited (Mexico, Peru and the western / southwestern United States). You can read Gary's obituary here https://www.dcourier.com/news/2019/apr/27/obituary-gary-richard-weaver/