Ilmenite (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

This is a notably hard to find example of Ilmenite from the Bentley Lake occurrence (Madawaska Mine property) in Ontario, Canada featuring a 3.1 cm, euhedral, well-formed, thick, tabular hexagonal crystal of dark brownish-black crystal of Ilmenite, associated with minor accenting Ilmenite, plus golden-brown prismatic crystals of Quartz, and minor black, pearlescent Biotite. The piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay, and it's one of the better examples of this elusive material that we've had to offer in recent years. The label accompanying this specimen states that the piece is from the Madawaska Mine, but it should be noted that the entry on mindat.org states, "specimens are often labeled as being from the mine (Faraday or Madawaska), but they were actually found at a surface showing on the property, also known as the Bentley Lake Occurrence".
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#2542). 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. The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.