Rutile (fine classic material)

Item Description

The Rutile crystals from Graves Mountain are some of the most iconic examples of the species from any world locality. Their amazing robust form, combined with larger than average sized crystals and that wonderful metallic silvery-red hue is distinctive and alluring. This piece is a fantastic display specimen hosting a few very well-formed, sharp, lustrous crystals measuring up to 4.5 cm with smooth, shiny reflective faces sitting on Pyrophyllite matrix. The front/display side of the piece is in superb condition with no major damage I can find. The positioning / arrangement combined with the superior form and quality of the crystals makes this a highly desirable specimen of these famous Rutiles. It's hard to find pieces featuring multiple high-quality, undamaged crystals on matrix like this, they almost always have little dings / nicks or they're only partially complete, so if you've always wanted a really good Graves Mountain Rutile, this is a fine example. Valued $5,000-$6,000.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 3271. 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