Ferro-axinite ex. Lauf Coll.

Item Description

Razor sharp bladed crystals of axinite standing up on matrix make this a very significant example from this high altitude locality, from which we see few axinites (but good ones) time to time. Impressive display face and sharp luster and edges make it pop out on display and it is a significant alpine axinite by any standard. It displays 360 all around. The specimen was acquired from Mountain Minerals (who imported it freshly at the time, and the label shows an old $2250 price tag from 2007 - priced very reasonably compared to Russian or other similar material).Valued more highly today, this specimen is from the author's own collection and is a cover of the important reference series mineral monograph books, Collector's Guide to the Axinite group, by Dr. Bob Lauf. 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.