Kipushite (incredibly rare)

Item Description

Kipushite is an incredibly rare copper zinc phosphate species, which a gets its name from the Kipushi Mine (Prince Léopold Mine), in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This thumbnail size piece is an older specimen (probably found in the mid 1960s) and features beautiful electric emerald green, monoclinic Kipushite crystals on gossan matrix. Minor Hemimorphite and Pseudomalachite can be seen as well. The crystals are small, best seen with magnification, and we've photographed it with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate the quality. You may not see another one of these for a while, so don't pass it up. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. Collection #6884. 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. The piece originally came from the famous Belgian mineral dealer, Gilbert Gauthier.