Vivianite (excellent classic material)

Item Description

A stupendous Vivianites from the famed Morococala Mine in Bolivia, which in the early 1980's produced some of the largest and most spectacular examples of the species in history. I have been told stories that there were plates of world-class crystals that came out of the mine for a very brief period of time. The "Vivianite Boom" was short-lived because the mine manager decided that the miners were too distracted collecting Vivianite and not attending to their duties underground, so he decided to blow up the entire section of the mine where the Vivianite was being collected, thus greatly limiting the number of specimens that would make their way to the market. This piece is one best pieces we've ever had to offer from the locality, featuring a group of excellent, lustrous, sharp, prismatic deep green crystals of Vivianite with minor attached matrix. The size and quality is outstanding for this locality, and very attractive from multiple sides. I honestly can't see any real damage of note, even the side of the crystal is complete and not cleaved, like so many from this mine. It's so incredibly difficult to find a specimen of this size that is in such supreme condition. These pieces are incredibly difficult to find on the market today. With VERY strong backlighting, the upper crystal shows a vivid green color and a bit of gemminess internally. It was priced at $6,000 many years ago, and I honestly value it at a minimum of $20,000 for the impressive size, quality, and the fact that it's essentially damage-free.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2387. 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-jac... or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.co... for more information