Vesuvianite (RARE locality specimen) (ex Bob Reynolds Collection)

Item Description

A cool old piece from this lesser known locality in Nevada dating back to the early 20th century. Originally the settlement at this locality was called Morningstar, but was eventually named Ludwig circa 1911, and reached a population of over 1,000 people at its peak. Today it's a ghost town, and to be fair, this piece probably didn't come from the actual Ludwig Mine, but rather the Vesuvianite occurrences in the canyon east of the locality. This piece is one of the very rare seen Vesuvianite crystals (we've only had a few of them over the years), and they have some of the best green color you'll see for the species. The crystal itself is sharp and well-formed, with an excellent termination, but the sides and the base are not complete. It is still a very good example of these elusive specimens, and if you collect minerals of Nevada, you cannot pass up a chance to get your hands on one these showy and attractive specimens that dates back many decades. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds who passed in August of 2020. Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011.