Damourite pseudomorph after Tourmaline (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

A rarely seen specimen from the Mount Rubellite Quarries near Hebron, Maine, which date back to the 1860s, though this specimen was probably collected within the last 50 years. It features a striated crystal of purplish-pink colored Tourmaline which is actually being replaced / pseudomorphed by Damourite (originally labeled as Dumortierite), a variety of Muscovite Mica. It's not unheard of to find Mica pseudomorphs after Tourmaline from Maine, but not many of them are actually labeled as Damourite. A piece of attached beige Feldspar sits alongside the Tourmaline for an added touch. A cool piece for any fan of unusual pseudomorphs, pegmatite minerals or specimens from the Pine Tree State. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.