Hydroboracite (fine rare crystals)

Item Description

A beautiful and fine quality specimen of Hydroboracite from the Thompson Mine (Thompson Shaft) in Death Valley. The piece features superb "tuft" or "fan"-like groups of soft golden-beige colored crystals covering the majority of the front of the specimen, associated with minor Colemanite on matrix. The largest individual crystal measures about 1.3 cm. The piece is repaired, not so much that you can even tell from the front, but you can clearly see it on the back. Hydroboracite is not often seen in fine quality display specimens, and the pieces from the Thompson Mine are certainly some of the best examples that have been found. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds (#RR0146). Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011. The specimen comes from the personal collection of Jim and Dawn Minette, who built the premier collector of California borate minerals in the world from the 1960s to the 1990s. Jim worked for the U.S. Borax Mines for 44 years, starting as a mine engineer and eventually working his way up to mine manager. This particular specimen was collected by Jim in 1970 with fellow mineral legend, Dave Wilber.