Millerite in Quartz geode

Item Description

Millerite is a wonderfully rare nickel species that occurs only in several locations worldwide as collectible quality. In American, we have a few, but perhaps the most famous are these "hairy nickel" elongated crystals like nests of needles, from a small roadcut off the freeway in rural Kentucky. Many Midwest collectors and dealers used to make the pilgrimage here to collect them in the 1970s and 1980s until it got too undercut and the police started chasing us away for safety violations (i got kicked out once, around 1989, myself...my mentor Neal Pfaff olelcted here rather aggressively and taught me the trick of following the seams for geodes!). This is a very nice specimen with a rich and sturdy nest of millerite inside, protected in the quartz-lined geode. The open space is jsut over 3 cm across. The millerite is easily visible, impactful, and really comes right to the surface of viewing; yet it is safely in there so we can ship it. A fine specimen , full miniature size, with an old Walt Lidstrom label as well. We are truly honored to present this specimen from another lot of deaccessions from the collection of Jack Halpern of San Francisco, as featured in the Mineralogical Record, March 2005. At 102 years old, he wants (some of) his babies to go forth into the world and find new homes.