Pyrrhotite

Item Description

Pyrrhotite is an iron sulfide species, like Pyrite and Marcasite, but the crystals are monoclinic, and the color is always a bit more "bronzey" than Pyrite or Marcasite, which is an easy way to tell them apart. Some of the finest crystallized specimen of Pyrrhotite in the modern era of mineral collecting are those from various mines in Dalnegorsk. This piece is a beautiful group of pseudo-hexagonal (monoclinic) brassy-bronze colored crystals which have formed beautiful, geometric groups measuring up to 2.2 cm across, aesthetically sitting on matrix. The piece is in very good condition, and I can't find any major damage anywhere. A very eye-catching and aesthetic example of this beautiful material from one of the great contemporary Russian localities.
ATTENTION: We are happy to announce our new book featuring the Jack Halpern collection entitled "Addicted to Beauty", which will be available in March from the Mineralogical Record. The following is an excerpt from Rob Lavinsky from the foreword of the book. "I am honored to have been entrusted with the deaccessioning of Jack Halpern’s famed collection. This book is not only designed to commemorate Jack's minerals, but also the man himself and how he inspired so many of us who are in the hobby today. Regarding the sale of his collection, Jack’s one comment and wish to me and to his family and friends was that we would carry forward his 'Legacy of Beauty' out into the broad world."
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2330. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information