Berthierite (rare)

Item Description

Here we have a lovely specimen of Berthierite, a rare iron antimony sulfosalt species, that is seldom found in good crystallized specimens. This mineral has been known to mineralogy since 1827 when it was named after Pierre Berthier a chemist from France, and mineralogist at the Ecole des Mines. The Herja Mine almost certainly the premier locality for the species, and this piece is a great example of said material. This miniature-sized display specimen hosts attractive, rather lustrous, acicular "needle"-like grey-black colored prismatic crystals measuring up to 1.0 cm long, on matrix. The crystals show a slight bluish iridescence on certain spots for a nice touch. A fine example of this classic material from the famous Herja Mine.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#11,513). This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.