Dolomite pseudomorph after Aragonite (RARE locality specimen)

Item Description

This is the first and only example of this material that we've seen from eastern central New Mexico. Typically the only mineral specimens you'll see labeled from DeBaca County are the famed "Pecos Diamonds", which are single "floater" Quartz crystals of a golden to brownish hue, and can range from bi-pyramidal in habit to pseudo-cubic. This piece is labeled as Dolomite pseudomorphing after Aragonite, and features a complete pseudo-hexagonal (cyclic twinned) crystal of what was formerly Aragonite, along with another little "sidecar" crystal. The piece is a complete "floater" with no damage or point of attachment that I can see. The surface is a muted grey-beige hue with some reddish-brown coloring due to iron oxide on the surface. There are a couple of labels that accompany the piece, but neither has much in the way of details of about specifically where it might have been found or even the year it was collected. It's unique to be certain, and if you collect pseudomorphs, fine crystallographic specimens, "floaters" or minerals of New Mexico, don't miss out on this one, as it may have been from a single discovery. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#2136). 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.