Vanadinite on Goethite Stalactites

Item Description

The finest examples of Vanadinite in the world have been found in Mibladen, Morocco, but nearby Taouz, also produced some beautiful specimens, though not nearly in the same quantity. This piece is one of the most aesthetic miniatures I've ever seen from Morocco, regardless of the locality. The fact that it's from Taouz makes it all the more enticing in my mind. It's a highly picturesque display specimen featuring several stalactitic "spires" of dark brown-black Goethite, which play host to a sprinkling of little tabular hexagonal crystals of red-orange Vanadinite measuring up to about 3 mm across. If you look at the close-up photos, you can see that the crystals are not just simple prisms, as many of them feature tiny pyramidal modifications on the corners for a nice touch. Amazingly, despite the thin and delicate nature of the specimen, it actually sits quite nicely on its own without the aid of a base or clay. Certainly one of the showiest pieces of this specific material that we've had to offer from Taouz.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2779. 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