Newberyite pseudomorph after Struvite (very rare) (''floater'' crystal)

Item Description

An incredibly hard to find specimen from Paoha Island in Mono County, California, featuring a "floater" crystal of what was originally Struvite, but has since been pseudomorphed to the rare magnesium phosphate, Newberyite. The soft white coating on the exterior of the crystal is Monetite. We've only had one other example of this material to offer that I can remember, and this one is honestly the better of the two, as it is euhedral, well-formed and sharp with distinct crystal faces and no "chipping" along the edges. A very interesting and certainly desirable rarity for any fan of worldwide thumbnails, pseudomorphs or minerals from California.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#5889). 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. The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.