Schorl (ex Bill Larson Collection)

Item Description

An excellent Schorl crystal from the old-time Vanderberg Mine in Pala. You almost never see crystals of this size and quality from this locality. The piece is a fine, sharp, lustrous, jet black prism with a tiny bit of attached Feldspar at the base. The termination is a smooth basal pinacoid, but there is a thin indention where presumably another mineral once grew, leaving behind a little "cast". The prism faces are beautifully striated, and all sides of the piece have fine luster. No real damage anywhere. A must have piece for any fan of San Diego County material, as pieces from the Vanderberg Mine are rather desirable. From the collection of Bill Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer as well as a miner and collector. Bill is synonymous with minerals of San Diego County, and owned and operated famous mines such as the Stewart Lithia, the Tourmaline Queen, the Pala Chief and the Himalaya, producing some of the most iconic mineral specimens to come out of the area during the 1970s-1980s. Bill is also known as "Burma Bill" and traveled the world for decades in search of fine gems and minerals, and was directly involved in the in-person acquisition and importation of superb specimens and stones from Myanmar (Burma). You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/