Barite pseudomorph after Celestine (RARE!) (ex Wouter Van Tichelen Collection)

Item Description

A RARE pseudomorph specimen featuring gorgeous snow white Barite replacing blocky Celestine crystals from the Annabel Lee Mine in Southern Illinois. I have only seen a select few of these specimens, and this one is certainly the finest in terms of both size and quality. One does not typically see many pseudomorphs from this area, especially in the case of Barite replacing another mineral. This small cabinet sized specimen shows the beautifully well-preserved form of the preexisting Celestine crystals, and when you flip the piece over you can see there are some tiny pale blue Celestine crystals still present, along with dark inky-purple partial Fluorite crystals and minor golden Calcite. A small exposed area near the top portion of the specimen shows that it is actually (at least partially) hollow inside! From the worldwide pseudomorph collection of Wouter Van Tichelen (specimen #20060606), and originally part of the Tom Wiesner collection. An incredibly hard to find and excellent quality pseudomorph, and you would be incredibly hard pressed to find another like it anywhere these days. Valued at $1,800.