Calcite (cobalt-bearing) (ex Charlie Key)

Item Description

An attractive small cabinet specimen filled with intense pink colored, lustrous, gemmy, compressed trigonal crystals of the very desirable cobalt-bearing variety of Calcite up to 5 mm on matrix. Minor roughness can be seen, so the piece is not perfect, but the color almost makes up for any damage, as you never see minerals with this color. Bou Azzer is of the most classic localities for the material, which has produced arguably the best specimens in the world in terms of color and quality. This specimen comes from the renowned mineral dealer, Charles (Charlie) Locke Key (1935-2021). Charlie just passed in December of 2021, and he will be remembered among other things as arguably the most prolific mineral dealer of the second half of the 20th century. He's also one of the few people in history to have TWO mineral specimens named in his honor: Keyite and Ludlockite.