Covellite (classic material)

Item Description

Here we have a notably thick and rich specimen of Covellite from Summitville, Colorado. When it comes to this cupper sulfide species, Butte, Montana gets most of the attention when it comes to fine specimens from the USA. With that said, I'll be that most people don't realize that perhaps the largest and finest Covellites were actually found in Summitville. The Colorado School of Mines has a Covellite specimen on display with individual crystals that measure many inches across ! (see http://trinityminerals.com/denver2012/DSC00792.JPG). Here we have a very good sized representative piece of Covellite featuring classic, bladed crystals which have the distinctive iridescent blue-purple hue for the species, with some pinkish and silvery-golden tones mixed in. For the size of the crystals, this is certainly a worthwhile specimen of Covellite from this classic Colorado locality, but it's not pristine, as there is some roughness in areas. Still one of the biggest and richest pieces of these beauties from Summitville that we've ever had to offer. Valued $1,750.
From the collection of Gary and Terry Butts of Livermore, Colorado. This husband and wife collecting duo were childhood sweethearts, and have been together since they began dating as teenagers growing up in East Des Moines, Iowa in the 1950s. Both of them had an early interest in the hobby thanks to the fact that Terry's parents had a keen interest in lapidary, which sparked an interest in rocks for both of them. Gary and Terry were featured in an article in the Des Moines Register on Feb 4, 1962 (see photo in this listing) highlighting their interest and prowess in the hobby as youngsters. Gary traveled to various localities around the US as a teenager with his father (who worked in the tin industry), to personally collect specimens. He then attended the School of Mines in Golden, Colorado and graduated in 1967 with a degree in extractive metallurgical engineering. We went to work for Duval Corp at the Esperanza Mine south of Tucson, Arizona and then work for Cyprus Mines, Hazen Research, Pincock, Allen & Holt and the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute. His final job was in the mineral and environmental division of Intertek Testing Services of London, which owned the Canadian mineral testing company, Bonder Clegg. Gary's various jobs allowed him to travel the world and build his collection by buying a lot of specimens in person when they were coming out of the ground. Additionally, Terry's uncle was a miner in Creede, Colorado and later owned a rock shop which supplied Gary with specimens from the area. The specimens in this auction represent what Gary and Terry considered the "cream of the crop" of their collection.