Fluor-uvite - Uvite Series (Tourmaline) on Magnesite

Pedra Preta Pit, Serra das Éguas, Brumado, Bahia, Brazil
Ex. Jack Halpern
Small Cabinet, 5.3 x 5.2 x 3.2 cm
Start Time: 01/11/2025 8:00:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 01/18/2025 6:30:00 pm (CST)
Time Left:
Current Bid: $120

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Minimum Bids and Increment Bids

The minimum bid for the first bidder is the starting bid of $10 (unless indicated otherwise in special higher-reserve auctions), and from there you can bid incrementally by one or more "bid increments" as you desire. The bid increments are:

$5 for bids of $10 to $50
$10 for bids of $51 to $500
$25 for bids of $501 to $1000
$50 for bids of $1001 to $5000
$100 for bids of $5001 to $10,000
$250 for bids of $10,001 to $25,000
$500 for bids of over $25,000

Item Description

The Tourmalines from Brumado are not your typical style/habit that most people would associated with any Tourmaline species. This is due to the fact that they are part of the Fluor-uvite - Uvite series, which is rarer than your typical Elbaite, or commonly seen Tourmalines. These distinctive and iconic Tourmaline crystals for many years were labeled as simply Uvite, but recent analysis has showed that they should be labeled as part of the Fluor-uvite - Uvite series. The reason for this designation is that the two species cannot be distinguished visually, so it's impossible to know which species this is without analysis. With that said, it appears that most pieces that were labeled previous as Uvite are likely to be Fluor-uvite, but we are labeling these specimens going forward as Fluor-uvite - Uvite series. This showy small cabinet sized piece features fine quality, good-sized sharp, lustrous, compressed trigonal crystals of deep olive-green color (with a slight more golden hue in areas) measuring up to 1.7 cm across, sitting atop rhombic, colorless, gemmy Magnesite crystals. The "Uvites" look beautiful up close and especially with some backlight. A fine quality example of these crystals, which are the best of their respective species ever found. Valued $3,000.
ATTENTION: We are happy to announce our new book featuring the Jack Halpern collection entitled "Addicted to Beauty", which will be available in March from the Mineralogical Record. The following is an excerpt from Rob Lavinsky from the foreword of the book. "I am honored to have been entrusted with the deaccessioning of Jack Halpern’s famed collection. This book is not only designed to commemorate Jack's minerals, but also the man himself and how he inspired so many of us who are in the hobby today. Regarding the sale of his collection, Jack’s one comment and wish to me and to his family and friends was that we would carry forward his 'Legacy of Beauty' out into the broad world."
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2378. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information

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Bidding History

Bid Amount Bid Time
$120 01/14/2025 8:09:38 pm (CST)
$112 01/14/2025 8:09:38 pm (CST)
$85 01/12/2025 7:26:45 am (CST)
$75 01/11/2025 10:42:54 pm (CST)
$67 01/11/2025 10:42:54 pm (CST)
$65 01/11/2025 10:42:46 pm (CST)
$55 01/11/2025 10:42:46 pm (CST)
$10 01/11/2025 9:05:22 pm (CST)