Brazilianite (rare locality)

Item Description

Please note: This specimen was labeled as coming from the "G. E. Smith Mine (Quarry)" in Newport, New Hampshire, but this was a mistake seen on a lot of older labels which according to mindat.org which states that this was, "Incorrectly listed as "G. E. Smith" Quarry in some references. Both the first (1956) and second (1960) editions of Philip Morrill's New Hampshire Mines and Mineral Locations incorrectly give the names as the "G. E. Smith" and "Chandler Mills". The Morrill references place both the George Frank Smith Quarry and the Chandlers Mill Quarry on the wrong sides of the road. Because of the widespread distribution of these field guides, mineral location labels can not be considered undeniably indicating one or the other of these locations. The George Frank Smith Quarry has produced some interesting mineral species, particularly phosphates, but the Chandlers Mill Quarry has by far produced the greater variety of species". With that said, this piece is almost certainly from Chandlers Mill Quarry. It features a group of semi-lustrous, blocky, crystals of Brazilianite measuring up to 2.1 cm, free of matrix. The largest crystal is contacted, so it's not complete, but outside of Brazil, these would be considered fairly impressive examples of the species. Overall it's really a reference specimen, but if you collect phosphates or New England minerals, this is certainly a decent example to add to your collection, both in terms of the rare species and locality. From the collection of the beloved mineral dealer and collector Rock H. Currier (1940-2015) who was the long-time owner of Jewel Tunnel Imports. Collection #RHC444. Rock travelled the world in search of mineral specimens, and built and impressive collection over his lifetime. He was one of the more colorful and unforgettable figures in the mineral world. You can read more about Rock at the following links: (https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/currierrock/) (https://www.mindat.org/user-2982.html) (https://www.rockcurrier.com/).