Ozocerite (ex Willard Wulff Collection)

Item Description

Ozocerite (sometimes spelled Ozokerite) is an odd, but naturally-occurring mineral "wax" and has been described as having an unpleasant smell, but these two pieces seem to have lost their "bite" over the years. I'm told that this material is made up of a mixture of various hydrocarbons. The material is found shales and sandstones and was formerly used in candles, polishes, and electrical insulation. These two specimens come 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 pair is accompanied by a hand-writted from Wulff stating that they came from someone by the name of I. F. Briggs. They are black, opaque and fairly lightweight for their size. A great old pair of historic and hard to find specimens from a locality that ONLY produce Ozocerite.