Phosphophyllite (twinned)

Item Description

This fullsized thumbnail is an extraordinarily gemmy and fine example of one of the rarest of all mineral specimens, a gem phosphophyllite twin from Bolivia. These came out in the 1940s-1950s, and most of them were brought to market by Peter Bancroft by the early 1960s. We almost never seen one turn up for sale and all the major thumbnails, such as this, are tied up in generational collections, meaning they tend to come back to market only every 30-50 years. People keep them. They do not sell them, unless the whole collection goes. They are simply Holy Grails, and once owned, tend to stick til the very end because they simply cannot be replaced and the color is so beautiful and unique. This transparent bluish-green single twin crystal is a perfect full size, super gemmy, very clean, and has amazing luster. It has never been to a modern lab (where it could improve further in clarity and sparkle) - I know this, because it came from me to begin with. I purchased this from a group sold off in Southern California by the late Peter Bancroft, and later sold it to Alex Schauss (circa 2006). Alex has owned it ever since, as it would have been hard to upgrade - in line with the comments above about holding times on such specimens. Exhibited: One of the 35 displayed specimens that won the 2010 Paul Desautel Trophy for Best Mineral Case in Competition at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. Illustrated twice: Minerals: The Collector’s Newspaper, 2014, Vol. 8, p. 15. Also, published in Mineralogical Record, Refined Elegance: The Small Treasures of Mineralogy, November 2022 as a full page photo. Valued $9500-plus.