Calcite (rare botryoidal habit) (ex Henry de Linde Collection)

Item Description

Calcite is known from thousands of world localities, but spherical Calcites are incredibly hard to find. The Campomorto Quarry is well-known for producing some of the most unusual yet iconic Calcites out there. Along with the odd habit, the color of this material is also a bit unusual, as you could simply describe it as "yellow", but it has a certain pastel overtone that gives it a very distinctive look. The combination of the bizarre habit and the unique color, plus the fact that they formed on hard lava rock matrix - specifically tephritic lava - makes for some difficult collecting, and few good cabinet matrix pieces like this are out there. Many attractive, translucent, soft yellow to whitish-yellow colored unique Calcite "balls" measuring 9 mm across can be seen sprinkled all over the display side of this specimen. If you're a fan of Calcites or Italian minerals, don't pass this one up, as I'm told the best pieces came out around 30 years ago, and nothing since. This piece comes with an additional label from Rassano Carlini of Rome, Italy. 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.