Halite (beautiful color)

Item Description

From one of the premier localities for Halite in the world, here we have a beautiful old example from the Wintershall Potash Works in Germany. This is a classic, gorgeous Halite specimen showing rich blue coloring in the center, and virtually colorless tones on the edges from the ancient mines of Germany. We have been told that the color is a product of radiation and rare earth minerals, or of isotopes of those same REE with other elements at small levels. In any case, they are gorgeous. See the article at the following link for more information ( https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00710-014-0323-9 ). The material needs to be handled carefully in humid environments (as it will absorb enough moisture where it can dissolve), but it is absolutely stable if in a normal air-conditioned home. A great example of these fairly hard to find pieces from decades ago.
From the collection of Richard ("Rich") Andrew Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado, who was the namesake for the phosphate species Kosnarite. Rich loved European minerals, and built an impressive suite of specimens during his life.