Baryte (old classic) (ex Bob Reynolds Collection)

Item Description

English Barytes are true classics. They are arguably the most recognizable Barytes in the world - certainly among the most iconic ever found - and have been sought after for generations especially since the mines in the area were closed at the beginning of the 20th century. This piece was simply labeled as coming from England, and it's certainly from Cumbria (Cumberland), but it's difficult to say specifically which mine. It's a fairly thick, hefty, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, prismatic orthorhombic crystal with a very faint yellow (mostly colorless) hue free of matrix. The piece is in good shape overall, but there are a few contacted / dinged areas, so it's not completely pristine. With that said, this is a 100+ year old specimen of a material that is not often seen on the market for sale, and they are rarely without damage. If you collect Barytes or European / UK classics, this is something that every collector should have. Specimen weight is 271.20 grams. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds. Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011.