Rhodochrosite with Quartz and Pyrite

Item Description

Rhodochrosite is a popular species among collectors today, but keep in mind that it's only been in the last 50 years or so that some of the truly world-class Rhodochrosites have been found. Going back to the 1950s-1960s era, you could say this was the heyday of Butte Rhodos on the market, but they are notably scarce these days. These specimen were almost certainly the most recognized examples of the species from the Western United States during that time until mines like the Sunnyside and the Sweet Home in Colorado took over the mantle as having the best Rhodochrosites from North America. With that said, these are still great old time classics and any Rhodo collection or suite of US minerals isn't complete without one. This attractive small cabinet specimen features sharp, well-formed, beautiful pink colored rhombs of Rhodochrosite measuring up to 1.5 cm associated with prismatic white Quartz crystals and sparkling metallic Pyrite for a nice touch. Very little damage on the front, but contacted around the periphery where it was separated from the pocket wall. Still a notably showy and good quality example of these beautiful Rhodochrosites from one of the great mining districts in the United States.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 4017. 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