Neptunite (doubly-terminated) (classic material)

Item Description

Certainly, the finest Neptunite specimens ever found are those from the famous Gem Mine in San Benito California. This specimen is a fantastic miniature featuring an excellent, sharp, highly lustrous, prismatic, dark reddish-black doubly-terminated crystal group of Neptunite measuring 2.4 cm long sitting on a thin layer of white Natrolite atop grey-blue Crossite matrix. No damage, highly aesthetic and perfect composition with the Neptunite sitting beautifully in the center of the matrix. This mine is completely closed down and the property has been turned over to the state of California, so there will be no more specimens of this iconic, rare and classic material.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 1474. 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