Pargasite (fine crystals) (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

Here we have a great miniature sized display specimen of this fine quality and limited material . These pieces were mined in 2004, and I haven't seen another crumb outside of the initial discovery. Pargasite is a fairly common Amphibole species, but crystals are often crude, small and/or ugly. The pieces from the locality in Katukubura Hills (attributed originally to Kolonne) in the Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka produced some really attractive specimens. This piece is one of the best Pargasites that we've ever seen from the locality, featuring a predominant, robust, incredibly well-formed, very sharp, jet-black Pargasite crystal measuring 2.1 cm with a few accompanying Pargasites and minor Calcite underneath. Keep in mind that Amphiboles are typically rock-forming minerals (plutonic and volcanic igneous rocks that range in composition from granitic to gabbroic), so good crystals are difficult to find from anywhere, and this one is a big deal, so if you appreciate excellent morphology, especially in unlikely mineral specimens, don't pass this one up. Please note that the Pargasite specimens from this locality are in question due to the fact that Amphiboles can be chemically difficult to identify, and these pieces are sometimes labeled in the Edenite-Hornblende-Pargasite range. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. 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.