Lazurite (fine sharp crystals)

Item Description

Lazurite is a well-known Feldspathoid Group mineral, that has been used in certain cultures for a very long time. It is the blue components of Lapis Lazuli. One does not find many well-crystallized matrix speicmens of Lazurite which feature crystals measuring more than a few mm. Certainly, the finest quality and most well-known examples of the species are those from the Kokcha Valley in Afghanistan. These beautiful crystals have been mined for thousands of years, but weren't always identified as a mineral species. The earliest reference I can find for Lazurite dates back to 1869 according to mindat.org, but the material has been known for literally thousands of years. This piece features a few very sharp, good-sized, well-formed dodecahedrons of dark blue Lazurite measuring up to 3.2 cm across aesthetically sitting on marble matrix. Associated Forsterite (soft greenish-tan colored) and Pyrite plus Quartz are also present on the piece. It should be noted that over the last several years, Lazurite was discredited as a valid mineral species, and was being classified as a sulfide-bearing variety of Hauyne. Thankfully in 2021, Lazurite was reinstated, so we can now resume labeling all of our Lazurite specimens accurately. It is incredibly difficult to find large, attractive, isolated crystals such as this from any world locality. The piece is not repaired, and I can't see any damage to front/display side of the main Lazurite. A wonderful example of this classic and fine quality material from Afghanistan.
Valued $4,000
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 3487. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information