Talc ps. Quartz (1800s)

Item Description

Talc was once considered a crystal with a habit like Quartz because of these very confusing specimens that turned up in Germany in the early age of Mineralogy. It is, in fact, a talc replacement AFTER quartz! How can the softest mineral known totally replace one of the hardest? Nevertheless, this is a superb example of talc after quartz, from the classic and only locality we have seen it. These date to the 1800s and have long been staples in any fine European collection - we have seen some with labels as far back as the early 1800s and they are in old books as well. Today, they are almost unavailable and rarely seen for sale anywhere. We buy every good one we can. This specimen came to us in a large purchase from the classic collection of Dick Hauck, founder of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, through the George Elling collection. This is one of those esoteric mineral specimens that defy logic. To me, they are one of the most desirable of all pseudos for the intellectual and historical value of the specimens. What were once clearly well formed, quartz crystals, to 2.0 cm in length, have been totally altered by the off white-colored talc. A fine specimen for the size, of high quality and sharp crystals. Keep in mind that not only is this 150-200 years old in all likelihood, but it is literally the softest mineral possible on a scale of 1-10, so it is remarkable that it survived so well. When out for sale, if you even see one at a show, these are usually priced by the dealers specializing in the old classics at $3500-5000 range for anything decent of such quality.