Neptunite (ex Willard Wulff Collection)

Item Description

A classic specimen of Neptunite from the now closed Gem Mine in California. Along with Benitoite, Neptunite is one of the most recognizable species from this mine, and they are world renowned for their quality and beauty. This piece hosts a sharp, highly lustrous, prismatic crystal of Neptunite measuring 1.4 cm, and sitting on a thin layer of white Natrolite on matrix. A few contacted crystals can be seen on the piece, but the main crystal is in good shape with a textbook termination, but contacted on the other end. For the quality and aesthetics, this is a beautiful specimen of this fast-disappearing material. Buy these pieces while you can, they will continue to vanish from the market since the mine is now defunct. This specimen comes from the collection of Willard W. Wulff (1904-1998) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a prominent figure and collector of Colorado minerals. Wulff was one of the founding members of the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society in 1936. You can read Willard's bio on the Mineralogical Record website here ( http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?colid=1528 ). The piece comes with a typed label from Wulff on one of his famous 3x5 index cards.