Sturmanite (rare)

Item Description

An attractive specimen from the famed N'Chwaning II Mine featuring sharp, well-formed crystals of brown Sturmanite measuring up to about 2.6 cm, sitting on Charlesite (according to the labels, which refer to it as being a "clear" crystal, but it now has a chalky white hue on the surface due to some kind of alteration or dehydration). The piece comes with an old label from Scott Williams.
From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio (#10,613). 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. The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.