Bromellite (synthetic)

Item Description

Bromellite is a rare beryllium oxide mineral, named for the Swedish chemist, Magnus von Bromell. The species occurs naturally, but this piece is a rare and interesting synthetic example that was grown in San Francisco (exact laboratory is unknown) according to the label. The piece is a beautiful, very gemmy, utterly colorless, hexagonal group, with glassy faces on all sides. No damage that I can find, save the base where it was removed from whatever surface upon which it grew. For reference, Bromellite is grown synthetically according to the entry on Wikipedia because it, "confers high mechanical strength and very high thermal conductivity. In nuclear reactors, it is used as a moderator for fast neutrons. Ceramics containing bromellite are used in electronics.". I'm sure that most of you have never seen a piece of this material before, and at first glance it doesn't look synthetic, it almost looks like something that you would find in nature, but it's a MUCH higher quality than anything that has been found in the earth. A cool piece for any fan of unusual pieces or synthetic material.
From the synthetic mineral suite of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#10590). 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.