Galena (Spinel Twin) with Quartz ex Jack Halpern

Item Description

This is a significant galena from the early days of Russian exports after the wall went down, and was brought out by the late great dealer Brad Van Scriver in the 1990s. It is , as we decided here, four specimens in one, a real Jekyll and Hyde in that it looks different from EVERY side. Look at the photos, and you see that it literally looks like a different galena crystal fro meach angle as you rotate 90 degrees. One side looks like a spinel twin; another untwinned; a third side looks like a machined and hoppered surface that recedes to infinity within; and a fourth side looks almost like organic flowing metal reaching up and out. The whole piece is 360 degrees, complete all around! It was difficult to decide on limiting the photos to only 8 or so (scroll right to see more, and the labels), so please watch the video as well. This is a stunning specimen, an important galena, and a dramatic Russian specimen all at once. Jack paid $2500 for it in the 1990s, and we believe it is valued more like $15-20k now. In person, this is robust, 3-dimensional, and just one of the most impactful galena specimens you can hold. This sounds like hyperbole...but watch the video. 823 grams (approx 2 pounds in weight), this is no small specimen.