Calcite (ex Henry de Linde Collection)

Item Description

An eye-catching Calcite specimen from this famous mining district in southern Illinois. The piece hosts steep scalenohedral crystals, with a soft golden color, satiny internal gemminess and sharp, well-formed faces measuring up to 1.3 cm sitting on a thin layer of matrix. The vast majority of the crystals are undamaged and very attractive in person. A small partial crystal of purple and yellow bi-colored Fluorite can be seen flaring off the edge of the piece, confirming its origin from southern Illinois. From the collection of Henry de Linde (March 21, 1923 – April 4, 2019) of Hot Spring, Arkansas. Henry was one of the most prominent figures in the history of Arkansas mining and mineral collecting. Along with being a miner, mineral collector and an amateur mineralogist, de Linde was one of the founders of the Coon Creek Association mineral club. He was the owner of several key localities in Arkansas including the Diamond Jo Quarry (on the south rim of Magnet Cove), the type locality for Delindeite, which was named in his honor in 1987.