Celestine on Calcite (rare TEXAS locality!)

Item Description

Mineral specimens from Texas are not terribly common on the market, and specimens from Brown County are virtually non-existent. This piece is labeled as coming from Zephyr, a tiny town with a population of about 200, which lies about 15 miles east of Brownwood, Texas. It's the ONLY specimen we've ever had to offer from this locality, and it's incredibly unique and eye-catching. A fairly thick layer of soft silvery-blue colored, Celestine with a fibrous appearance around the periphery sitting atop a matrix of soft pinkish-tan colored Calcite. There are dozens of well-formed scalenohedral Calcite crystals that can be seen, so it's not just a matrix of massive Calcite. The style of the Celestine is really interesting and unusual, not just for an obscure Texas locality, but anywhere in the world. I love the combo of the blue and pink together and the piece displays beautifully on its own without a base or clay. If you collect Celestines or minerals of Texas, do not miss out on this one, it's the only piece we have to offer, and it's more than a reference specimen, it's a great showy cabinet sized piece that display wonderfully in a showcase. It's impossible to determine a fair market value for such a singular specimen, but if I had it on the shelf at a show for sale, I would probably have a $2,500 value on it.
From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974 ( https://www.mindat.org/photo-326405.html ).
The piece also comes with a label from the collection of Joe Lobell