Quartz var: Rock Crystal (classic material)

Item Description

Quartz is an abundant species on Earth, and despite the countless localities from which it has been found, but there are a few places that stand above the rest for the quality and size of the crystals they have produced. One of those areas is the Swiss Alps, which has been known for centuries as on one the premier Quartz-producing areas in the world. The famous Göschener Tal (Göschener Valley) is one of the most well-known Swiss locales for fine Quartz specimens, and this piece is a great example of this famous material. This good-sized, very sharp, notably lustrous, well-formed, GEMMY, colorless hexagonal prism is a fantastic piece of these classic Quartz crystals. This variety is sometimes referred to as "Rock Crystal" which is used for gem quality, colorless examples, often from Alpine localities, but I've seen the same term used for fine Quartz crystals from Arkansas or Brazil. The piece is in fine shape, with no major damage, just a few tiny dings, and although the back of the crystal might appear to be contacted or have separation marks, it's in fact fully crystallized ("re-healed"), as I can see hundreds of tiny lustrous faces when it look at it up close. I will point out that there is a saw mark on the bottom of the piece, so please keep this in mind when bidding. A beautiful old-time piece from this world-renowned part of the world for Quartz crystals. Originally in the collection of William Sanborn. Specimen weight is 474 grams.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 645. 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