Realgar (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

There is no place that has produced larger and finer quality crystals of Realgar than the famous the Shimen Mine in Hunan, China. The superb, large and astoundingly fine crystals combined with the enticing fiery gemminess is unmatched in the mineral world. This piece is a well-formed, sharp, lustrous, striated, fiery red colored prism free of matrix. Like many Realgars, this piece shows that iconic glowing color when backlit, but it's not 100% gem quality. The piece is well terminated, but there are some imperfections along the edges keeping it from being 100% damage free. This mine is the premier locality for Realgar crystals in the world, and to find a single crystal nearly 2 inches long is a big deal! A fantastic miniature specimen of these famous, classic crystals. Priced at $2,000 retail. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. 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.