Aragonite (twins) with Sulfur (classic material)

Item Description

A classic display specimen of these famous Aragonites from Sicily, which are some of the signature examples of the species from anywhere in the world. Mining at the Giumentaro Mine concluded in the 1984, so this piece is a minimum of 40+ years old, and it's a fine example of this iconic material. A predominant, well-formed, thick/broad, cyclic-twinned group of Aragonite is accompanied by smaller Aragonites of equal quality, and classic accenting yellow Sulfur. The main Aragonite ranges from a light golden-orange hue in the center to a gentle silver blue shade on the termination, which is best seen with backlighting. No real damage is visible on the front/display side, but it's not complete on the back where it separated from the pocket wall. Certainly one of the largest individual Aragonites we've had to offer in the auctions from the locality.
From the collection of Albert M. “Al” Liebetrau (1938-2023) and Suzanne "Sue" Liebetrau.
Both Al and Sue were from Wisconsin originally, but lived in various places in the US and Europe, eventually ending up in Oregon. Al was a teacher (from high school to the university level) and statistician with degrees in math and statistics, and Sue taught English and worked as a technical editor for Battelle Memorial Institute. While Al has since passed away, Sue is still a very active member of the mineral collecting community. The Liebetraus were married for over 60 years (they were married in 1960) and assembled a world-class collection of fine quality crystallized display specimens, along with one of the great fluorescent mineral collections in the United States. Incidentally, Al was the former president of the Fluorescent Mineral Society, and was the main person in charge of putting together the massive number of displays at the 2021 Tucson Show (fluorescent minerals was the theme that year).
Mineral specimens from their collection have won multiple awards at various shows, including the prestigious Lidstrom Trophy for the best mineral specimen at the TGMS Show in Tucson, along with the Desautels Trophy for the best case. Additionally, the Liebetraus were awarded the Romero Award for best Mexican specimen, and the Bideaux Trophy for best Arizona specimen.
You can read more about Al and Sue and their lives at the following link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00357529.2023.2236000