Kyanite (gemmy crystal)

Item Description

A beautiful large thumbnail sized crystal of Kyanite, not from Minas Gerais, but the state of Goias. The piece is a sharp, well-formed, euhedral prism, complete on all sides, save the base where it was removed from the pocket. The best aspect of the piece is that it shows a vivid glowing blue color internally when backlit, not the darker more "inky" blue seen in Kyanites from places like the Barra do Salinas area in Minas Gerais. We did our best to show the gemminess in the photo. A really beautiful and hard to find example of this well-known species that is rarely seen in robust gemmy crystals like this.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#7820). 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.