Wavellite (classic material) (ex Henry de Linde Collection)

Item Description

One of the staple species from Arkansas is Wavellite. It is not only a signature mineral for the entire state, but it is synonymous with Henry de Linde himself, so much so that some of the best Wavellite localities literally bear his name. This piece is from the Henry de Linde #2 Mine and features a central vug of beautiful, soft yellowish-green colored radiating "balls" of Wavellite measuring up to 9 mm across sitting in Big Fork chert matrix. There are a few contacted Wavellites on the specimen, which reveal that they have a lovely blue-green subsurface layer and deep greenish-black "cores". My favorite aspect of the piece is the high glistening luster on the Wavellites, some of which actually show a slight pinkish iridescence on the surface. Classic material, and made all the more valuable and desirable by the fact that it came from the collection of Henry de Linde who lived from March 21, 1923 – April 4, 2019. Henry was one of the most prominent figures in the history of Arkansas mining and mineral collecting. Along with being a miner, mineral collector and an amateur mineralogist, de Linde was one of the founders of the Coon Creek Association mineral club. He was the owner of several key localities in Arkansas including the Diamond Jo Quarry (on the south rim of Magnet Cove), the type locality for Delindeite, which was named in his honor in 1987.