Fluorite (rare Southern Illinois locality)

Item Description

An impressive and striking Fluorite specimen from Southern Illinois, but not from the more famous mines like the Minerva #1, the Denton or the Annabel Lee. This piece comes from the Tower Rock Mine which lies further south from the more notable fluorspar mines in Hardin County. The specimens are almost always etched, and this is one of the few examples we've had to offer over the years. A predominant cubic crystal is plays host to smaller gemmy cubes on the exterior faces, creating a dramatic and three-dimensional display piece with captivating geometric form. On the surface the piece mostly shows various purple hues, though when it is strongly backlit, some more golden shades can be seen due to oxide inclusions. The piece is remarkably crystallized all over, even on the underside where it has re-crystallized ("re-healed") after detaching from the pocket wall, so I'm calling it a complete "floater". If you collect Fluorites of Southern Illinois, this is a RARE locality specimen and really good quality to boot, so don't miss out. The piece originally belonged to Ross Lillie (#RCL0771) whose label states that it was acquired in 1996 from Wink Oxford. Another label from Dr. Art Soregaroli accompanies the piece as well.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 4107. 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