Calcite (Cobalt-bearing) (classic material)

Item Description

A classic example of fine quality, flashy purplish-pink, scalenohedral crystals of the very desirable cobalt-bearing variety of Calcite from the Aghbar Mine in Morocco, with crystals measuring up to 8 mm on matrix. This mine is one of the most classic localities for the material, and it has produced some of the best specimens in the world. This showy display specimen is good saturated color, which is almost unmatched in the mineral world, and incredibly iconic for collectors. The majority of the crystals are undamaged and some are rather gemmy when backlit.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 4176. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information