Hedenbergite (RARE ''Faden'' specimen) (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

Going back to the 1990s, there were a good number of fine specimens coming from Tormiq, but these days the area is fairly quiet, and not much has been found in a while. This area might be best known for its fantastic "Faden" Epidote specimens, which rival the famous pieces from the Knappenwand in Austria, and the Pakistani specimens are arguably more desirable in some cases because they're actually gemmier than their Austrian counterparts. THIS piece is a rarely seen "Faden" Hedenbergite, which is remarkably harder to find from Tormiq. This miniature specimen hosts a group of sharp, lustrous, thin tabular crystals which are nearly black when viewed in reflected light, but show a rich forest green hue in transmitted light. Additionally, you'll see that there is a distinct "Faden" (German word for string), that runs the length of the crystals, almost identically to the Epidote specimens from this area. As a matter of fact, there is actually a small group of greenish-brown Epidote crystals at the base of the piece that have ALSO formed in a "Faden" growth, and they're actually sitting a cluster of greyish-green Diopside crystals that have formed in thin acicular crystals. A really special, rare and unusual piece that would make a fine addition to any collection just for the rarity of the particular species from this locality. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.