Boracite (good sized crystals)

Item Description

This is a good quality Boracite specimen from Alto Chapare, Bolivia, mined in the early 2000s. Nothing new has been found at this locality in some time, and it's shame because they're some of the more interesting and often larger sized examples of Boracite from any locality. Most people are familiar with the "blue" Danburites from Alto Chapare, but the other staple species found here is Boracite. This piece features a pair of fairly large, well formed, sharp, semi-lustrous soft blue color cubes of this hard to find species with minor attached matrix. The largest cube measures 1.6 cm on edge, which is bigger than most I've seen from this locality. There were only a handful of crystals from the entire find that were on matrix, and to find two crystals intergrown like this is rare for the locality. Do not miss out on this great display specimen of a species that is not often found in attractive specimens. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#10142). 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, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.