Quartz (GEM ''floater'' etched crystal)

Item Description

Tormiq is one of the premier Alpine-type cleft deposits in the high mountains of Pakistan, famous for its excellent Epidote crystals, but several years ago there was a find of these distinctive and highly attractive Quartz crystals. All of the crystals from this pocket were highly etched "floater", with no matrix or point of attachment, but they were also incredibly GEMMY, virtually water-clear with excellent optical colorless purity. This piece is a great example of this limited material, as it features dramatic etching forms on all sides, but there are still a few remaining smooth, euhedral crystals faces on one end. The glistening luster and absolute internal transparency make it a really fine quality specimen, and overall form/shape creating by the etching make it completely one-of-a-kind. It looks like a sculptural, complex, icicle stalagmite/stalactite. Specimen weight is 162.0 grams.
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. 3459. 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