large, sharp Spinel ex Jack Halpern Collection

Item Description

Fascinating and imposing at this same time, this cluster of Spinel crystals is from Ratnapura, famous for its world-class Sapphires. The largest Spinel octahedron is 3.8 cm on edge, and together they are arranged in a striking fashion. If you look closely at the crystals, they seem to be composed of hundreds of smaller octahedron, all intergrown perfectly. The Egyptians could not have built these any better out of such building blocks. Definitely one of my favorite Spinels from Sri Lanka, not for color but for impact of geometry. 128 grams.. There are numerous references to Jack and his collection in print, but perhaps a good tour of the collection and its history will help give perspective on just how good, and important, this collection is: https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection