Scheelite (classic material) (fluorescent)

Item Description

Going back several decades, one of the premier localities for crystallized Scheelite was the now defunct, but historically significant Tae Hwa Mine in South Korea. This old tungsten locality produced some excellent examples of the species with larger than average sized crystals with various hues. The mine has been closed since the early 1970s, and these specimens are still regarded as classics for their respective species. This specimen hosts a predominant, fairly sharp, lustrous, well-formed, gemmy/translucent, rich golden color pseudo-octahedral crystal of Scheelite, sitting on additional Scheelite underneath. Minor roughness can be seen, so it's not perfect, but it's still a good sized crystal of this now very hard to find material. When backlit, you can see some rich colors internally, which is not common for this material as most of the crystals are opaque. The piece shows excellent golden-yellow fluorescence under UV light as well. Classic material, and very desirable for any fan of the species. Valued $1,250.
This piece comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.