Muscovite on Albite and Microcline (ex Al Kidwell Collection)

Item Description

Please note: This specimen is labeled as "Zinnwaldite", a different species of Mica, but it has been confirmed that all of the Mica specimens from this locality are in fact Muscovite. This piece is not only the best matrix specimen that we've had to offer from this locality, it honestly might be the best overall Mica specimen that we've seen from Zé Pinto. A 4.3 cm, sharp, lustrous, semi-"rosette"-shaped group of thin, bladed Muscovite crystals is aesthetically perched atop off-white colored, slightly etched Albite and white Microcline matrix. The piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay. Mica is not always considered a "display" species, but this one is an incredibly three-dimensional and highly displayable specimen. You don't see a lot of Mica specimens like this, and this piece dates back several decades, so you're likely not to see another one like it from this locality again anytime soon. Priced in our inventory at $2,200. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974. The piece is accompanied by a label from Dehne McLaughlin, the well-known Australian field collector who owns the famous Malbunka Copper Mine where the beautiful Azurite "suns" have been mined for years.