Murmanite (very rare) (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

Murmanite is a very rare hydrated sodium titanium silicate species, found mostly in various Russian localities, and only in a few other places in the world. The best specimens are found in Russia, mostly in the Lovozero Massif and the Khibiny Massif. This small cabinet specimen hosts several dark purplish colored, semi-metallic, platy crystals measuring up to 2.2 cm long, sitting on alkali rock matrix. These pieces came out years ago, and you can only find them in older collections, so if you're a rare species collector, be sure to pick up this attractive and notably hard to find piece for your collection. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. 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, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.