Quartz with selective Hematite coatings (RARE Michigan locality)

Item Description

This is the first specimen of Quartz from Goose Lake, Michigan that we've ever had to offer in the auctions. In fact, a quick glance on mindat.org only show ONE other piece from this locality, so they are certainly rare and in my mind, desirable for any fan of Quartz or minerals from the Marquette Iron Range. This piece is a fine quality and showy full-sized cabinet display specimen that is loaded with sharp, lustrous, gemmy, colorless, hexagonal prismatic crystals measuring up to 4.1 cm long, which have beautiful reddish-brown coatings of Hematite on the surface, giving the piece an additional touch of color and a lot of character. If you look closely, you can see the Hematite isn't just blanketed over the Quartz crystals, but rather was deposited in a selective deposition, as it can be seen on certain alternating faces of each Quartz crystal. For the most part, the piece is in good shape, though a few of the Quartz crystals are broken, so it's not pristine. Overall, it's a rather impressive and certainly rarely seen example that would make a fine addition to any collection. The piece comes with a label from the Mineralogical Record auction in Tucson, where is was donated by Don and Gloria Olson.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#7018). This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.