Thorianite (fine crystal) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

One of the finest single crystals of Thorianite that we've seen from Betroka. This locality produced many fine crystals decades ago, and they all but completely disappeared from the market. You will only find these in old collections, and even then it's not terribly likely. This piece is a superb quality, very sharp, highly lustrous, well-formed single cube with a rich black hue. There is a tiny bit of oxidation on the surface, but the piece is still a shiny black color. My favorite two aspects of the piece are the sharpness and luster, and these crystals can sometimes be rather dull and almost "melted" / rounded on the edges. The piece is complete on all sides, with no major damage. It is accompanied by a "Perky" box with a label secured in place on the front edge. A stellar example of this incredibly hard to find, old classic material Ex Kay Robertson Collection. Kay was a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics. She nearly lived 100 years from April 1920 - March 2020. See the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record ( https://www.mineralogicalrecord.com/pdfs/Kay%20Robertson%20Collection.pdf ), and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017.