Purpurite (rare locality specimen) (ex Gary Weaver Collection)

Item Description

A lovely and hard to find specimen of the rare phosphate Purpurite from the Purple Haze Claim in Larimer County, Colorado (about 40 miles northwest of Ft. Collins). Only five species have been reported from this locality (all phosphates), and at least three of them are present on this specimen. The focus is obviously the intense (almost metallic) purple colored Purpurite crusts which can be seen on both the front and back of the piece. Dark olive green Alluaudite "stringers" are scattered throughout along with dark brown to yellow-brown colored Sicklerite. It should be noted that Heterosite can be altered through the cleaning process and will turn a purple color, so it's possible that this piece is a mixture of both Purpurite and Heterosite together. If you collect Colorado minerals or rare phosphates, it's virtually impossible to get your hands of a piece of this material, so don't miss out, as we've only had a few of them over the year to offer. From the collection of Gary Weaver of Prescott, Arizona (1944-2019). Gary was an electrical engineer who worked for many years for Hughes Aircraft in California. You can read Gary's obituary here https://www.dcourier.com/news/2019/apr/27/obituary-gary-richard-weaver/