Titanite (''V''-twin) on a Smoky Quartz Gwindel

Item Description

A nice, sharp, lustrous brown "V"-shaped twin of Titanite on a Smoky Quartz "Gwindel" group from the Dodo Mine in Russia, an "Alpine-type" cleft deposit producing minerals that are quite similar to those from the European Alps. The back of the specimen has a bit of attached grey schist. Showy and very good quality overall. These pieces came out in the 1980s-1990s and were very scarce on the market, almost never seen for sale today.
This piece is pictured in the Russian magazine, World of Stones 1996, No. 10, Pg. 24, Fig. 3 and the winner of this auction will receive Bob's personal copy of that issue of the magazine. The piece was also pictured in Collector's Guide to Silicates: Orthosilicates (written by Bob Lauf), but please note that the book is not included with this listing.
From the collection of longtime mineral collector Dr. Bob Lauf (Collection #2157), the author of the Mineral Collectors Guide books (Schiffer Publishing), widely seen at mineral shows and libraries. Robert Lauf grew up in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois, ultimately receiving a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering. His scientific career included over twenty years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he conducted research on topics ranging from nuclear fuel, coal by-products, materials synthesis, microwave processing, sensors, optical materials, and biomineralization. He has been granted over forty U.S. Patents for his inventions, many of which have become successful industrial products. He is now a Registered Patent Agent and technology consultant.