Clinozoisite ex. Lauf Coll.

Item Description

This specimen is from the author's own collection and is on the cover of the important reference series mineral monograph books, Collector's Guide to the Epidote group, by Dr. Bob Lauf. It is a fine, gemmy specimen that shows unusual yellowish color compared to the greenish hues we mostly see, and is really gemmy with only a little backlighting needed. It has an interesting bent crystal about 2.5 inches tall, along with a sidecar crystal also showing the same weird bending growth, coming out of a common base. Acquired in 2006 from contemporary finds at the time, and a fine display specimen of this species. Robert Lauf grew up in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois, ultimately receiving a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering. His scientific career included over twenty years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he conducted research on topics ranging from nuclear fuel, coal by-products, materials synthesis, microwave processing, sensors, optical materials, and biomineralization. This item comes with a copy of the corresponding book, as shown.