Quartz coated by Hematite

Item Description

The Upper New Street Quarry in New Jersey is best known for its zeolite minerals and Prehnites, but there was a relatively small discovery of some distinctive and beautiful Quartz specimen which have a strong red hue due to a coating of Hematite. This piece is loaded with dozens of little crystals (about 3 mm) which are essentially white/colorless, but the thin layer of Hematite that was deposited on the surface gives them a strong, eye-catching color. If you look closely at the terminations of the Quartz crystals, you'll see that it's not just a flat coating of Hematite, but a specific selective deposition, as alternations pyramidal faces are only coating, leaving others completely pristine. The hand-written note accompanying the piece states that this shows Dauphiné twinning in the Quartz crystals, but I cannot say for certain if this is accurate. There's a lot more going on with this piece than just Quartz and Hematite, and I encourage the winner of this specimen to take a look at the little Quartz crystals with a loupe or under the microscope to really appreciate the piece. From the collection of Richard ("Dick") Philip Hauck formerly of Bloomfield, New Jersey and now a resident of Franklin, New Jersey. Dick is an avid collector of minerals, books, and mining memorabilia, along with being an accomplished author in the mineral world. Arguably, his greatest claim to fame is being the co-founder of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, NJ. Dick purchased the land on which the Sterling Hill Mine resides in 1988, and the museum has been running strong since.