Lepidolite (ex Bill Larson Collection)

Item Description

A wonderful old-time specimen from the famous Little Three Mine in San Diego County that dates back to the 1970s. This locality is famous for producing the best blue Topaz crystals from anywhere in San Diego County (possibly all of the United States), and while this specimen doesn't feature Topaz, it's one of the showiest and most eye-catching pieces of "Lepidolite" that we've ever had to offer from the locality. It must be noted that Lepidolite is no longer a valid mineral species, but rather according to mindat.org, it is a "Li-rich mica in, or close to, the so-called Polylithionite-Trilithionite series." With that said, nearly everybody still refers to lilac or purple colored Mica as Lepidolite, so we're sticking with it for the time being. This incredibly aesthetic group featuring fine quality, well-formed layered clusters of Lepidolite measuring up to 2.2 cm with no matrix. In reflected light, the surface of the crystals is a soft semi-metallic silvery hue, but when you turn the crystals on their side and backlight them, you can see the beautiful light purple hue come through. The crystal groups are rather gemmy for their relative thickness, and I love how they are beautifully oriented into such a three-dimensional display specimen, not just a "lump" of Mica. This one is special and a must have for any fan of pegmatite minerals or specimens from the famous Little Three Mine. From the collection of Bill Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer as well as a miner and collector. Bill is synonymous with minerals of San Diego County, and owned and operated famous mines such as the Stewart Lithia, the Tourmaline Queen, the Pala Chief and the Himalaya, producing some of the most iconic mineral specimens to come out of the area during the 1970s-1980s. You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/