Aragonite var: Tarnowitzite (classic material)

Item Description

A classic specimen of the famous Tarnowitzites from the prolific Tsumeb Mine. When these pieces were first coming out, Tarnowitzite was actually its own species, but today it's classified as a variety of Aragonite with lead content (formerly called Plumboan Aragonite). This cabinet sized piece hosts excellent, sharp, well-formed, lustrous, prismatic, beautifully terminated crystals with contrasting green Malachite on matrix. The crystal habit is indicative of the material. The largest Tarnowitzite crystal measures 2.3 cm long, and the vast majority of them are damage free, though there are some incomplete crystals, and the sides of the piece are contacted where the specimen was removed from the pocket wall. These crystals also fluoresce a light yellow hue under UV light. A great specimen, and better in person! Valued $2,500. You never see these on the market anymore, especially in bigger matrix display pieces like this. This specimen was purchased by Jack in 1965, originally part of the collection of William Sanborn.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 241. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information