Topaz with ''Hyalite'' Opal (Opal-AN) (fluorescent)

Item Description

A beautiful association specimen of this classic and distinctive material featuring a "spray" of prismatic, sharp, highly lustrous, orthorhombic, prismatic Topaz crystals, some of which a distinctive reddish-brown color (iron included) to a pale sherry hue, measuring up to 1.2 cm. The Topaz crystals are partially coated by colorless "beads" of what was formerly referred to "Hyalite Opal", but is now defined as Opal-AN. This association is quite rare from this locality in my experience. The Opal shows a bright green fluorescence under SW UV light. These specimens are perhaps the most well known Topaz specimens from any Mexican locality, due to their easily recognizable form and attractive, unique color, but they take another step up in desirability with the rare Opal association. Good quality, balance and aesthetics, and these Topaz crystals are not terribly easy to find on the market anymore.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 1976. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information