Schizolite (very rare and fine)

Item Description

Schizolite is a very rare member of the Pectolite-Serandite Series, and was actually a valid species dating back to 1901. Prior to the formation of the International Mineralogical Association in 1955, Schizolite was discredited as a valid species, and determined to be a variety of Pectolite. In 2013, specimens were discovered as the Wessels Mine in South Africa, and were subsequently named Marshallsussmanite, but upon further analysis they were determined to actually be Schizolite, and the species was reinstated in 2018. With that said, the species is closely related to Serandite, and specimens from the famed Poudrette Quarry at Mont Saint-Hilaire in Quebec are quite similar to one another in terms of color and quality. The Schizolites tend to be more on the pastel side of the spectrum, and many specimens though to be Serandite have been re-analyzed and shown to actually be Schizolite. This piece is one of those specimens, as it was originally labeled as Serandite, but is in fact Schizolite. The piece is accompanied by a note detailing some of the information regarding the Schizolite/Serandite relationship, along with a mention of a specimen from the Canadian Museum of Nature (#CMNMC 46265a) that was thought to be Serandite, but it actually Schizolite ( see https://nature.ca/en/mineral-identification-when-your-eyes-are-not-powerful-enough/ ). This piece is a fantastic display specimen of this rare sodium calcium manganese silicate, featuring a few very lustrous, sharp, well-formed, prismatic, soft salmon-pink colored crystals measuring up to 2.9 cm, aesthetically flaring off foliated "blades" of Polylithionite. A very eye-catching and superb quality example of this hard to find species, from one of the world's greatest mineral localities.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#13621). 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.