Siderite with Muscovite

Item Description

A fine quality, classic specimen from the famed Crabtree Quarry in North Carolina featuring a dozens of rather lustrous, sharp, very well-formed, rich olive-green colored rhombohedra of Siderite measuring up to 1.7 cm associated with deep greenish-black hexagonal groups of Muscovite measuring up to 2.0 cm across. For two fairly common species, the quality and crystallization is excellent. It's largely crystallized all over, with only a couple contacts that I can see. A great display quality specimen of these now lesser seen pieces from this well-known locality. One of the labels accompanying the piece states that it was collected circa 1950s-1960s, and it originally belonged to Art Smith, who obtained the piece in 1979.
From the collection of John Whatley, a well-known Georgia collector (1939-2022). John had many interests and hobbies, and favorite hobby was collecting rocks and minerals. He was a member of the Augusta and Aiken, SC Gem and Mineral Society. He also enjoyed collecting arrowheads and he co-authored the book, An Overview of Georgia Projectile Points and Select Cutting Tools. He was a member of the Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama Archaeology Societies and he also enjoyed volunteering in the Archaeology Department at SRS.
You can read more about John at: https://www.thomaspoteet.com/obituaries/john-whatley