Willemite stalactites with Wulfenite

Item Description

This is a memorable and OUTSTANDING combination piece consisting of golden-honey Willemite crystals stacked into GLISTENING, ball-shaped aggregates. This was a unique pocket in the 1980s (I was told 1988 by Charlie Key, from memory, but cannot confirm ). I have missed it for 20 years, since selling it the first time around 2005, and remembered it all this time for its iconic, special style and sparkle. These Willemites are gemmy to translucent, and sparkling as the multiple crystal faces catch the light. These "balls" (actually crystallized!) extend up to 1.7 cm across, and scattered about are numerous small blades of Wulfenite. Root-beer colored with beveled edges, the wulfenites are as glassy as you could hope for, and they provide a perfect complement in every respect to the Willemite. The Willemite even fluoresces under both SW and LW. This is the best example for its size that I have seen of this habit for Tsumeb in the size, and I sold it out of the renowned Marshall and Charlotte Sussman Tsumeb collection many years ago in the early 2000s. It was one of only 100 carefully chosen display specimens on exhibit in the famous display in Chicago, which many considered the best Tsumeb display suite in America at the time. Just to show how dedicated Marshall was to his high-level Tsumeb pieces, his license plate simply says "TSUMEB", which says it all. This is one of those pieces from the early 2000s sale of the collection that we never forgot, and never saw the equal of since. It was valued near five figures even at the time. It later sold to Star Van Scriver, and then to Dr. Pohl. Valued $7500-plus