Goethite ex Kidwell

Item Description

This is a stunning piece for a predominantly black mineral! It's also rather unusual for Santa Eulalia with its admixed glossy as well as satiny, black-brown botryoids of Goethite that comprise a quite handsome specimen. There is a mix of Goethite textures on this piece with most of the single botryoids displaying a shiny or glossy luster and a smooth surface and average 1 cm across, whereas the intermixed satin lustred ones consist of clusters of multiple, 1 to 2 mm, much smaller botryoids locally clustered into aggregates up to 2 cm across. Broken spheres around the periphery of the piece reveal the radial concentric character of the Goethite as well as broken spheres around the periphery show the radial divergent nature of the interior of the botryoids as well as more of a grown-green color. In contrast, the backside of the piece shows a dense coverage highly lustrous, colorless, transparent Apophyllite crystals. Purchased in 1984 from Dalton and Consie Prince, the great mineral dealers specializing in Mexican minerals in Houston at the time. From the diverse and historic collection of one of the great field collectors and mineralogists of mid-1900s Texas, Albert Kidwell of Houston (1919-2008), after whom the mineral Kidwellite is named. Spectacular in a case!