Opal (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

A rarely seen Opal specimen from the Herlany Pass locality in Slovakia. The piece features a mixture of rich caramel, golden and latte colors with a thin cream colored band on the bottom. If you look at the bottom of the piece, you'll see a few attractive black dendrites, which is a signature characteristic of this material. I love the slick vitreous luster on the edges of the piece, which really lets the color shine through. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#8817). 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.