Baryte (gemmy doubly-terminated crystal)

Item Description

A beautiful example of these distinctive and fine quality Barytes from Champeix, a less well-known area of Puy-de-Dome, France. This sharp, lustrous, well-formed prismatic orthorhombic crystal is doubly-terminated, though not complete all around as there are a few dings on the front, and it has some interrupted growth on the back (though no major damage I can see). The crystal interesting variable hues of almost orange to brown to golden-yellow hues when backlit, depending upon the angle (it does seem to show a bit of a pleochroic-esque change of color) and the temperature of the light under which it is viewed. This crystal is good sized for the locale and is one of the few examples we've had to offer in the auctions from this somewhat obscure locale.
From the collection of the long time, beloved, well-known French field collector, Paul Zerfass (Collection #781). Zerfass built this worldwide collection over nearly 50 years, many of which were personally collected. A biography featuring specimens from his collection (along with his face on the cover) is in the May - June 2017 issue of French mineral magazine, Le Règne Minéral. We have a .pdf copy of the article for anybody interested in reading it (though it's mostly in French). Just drop us a line and know that you'd like to have a copy.