Witherite (doubly-terminated)

Item Description

Witherite is an uncommon carbonate, found in multiple world localities, but truly fine crystals are fairly rare. Some of the finest crystallized examples out there, are the fine classics from Southern Illinois. These good sized, well-formed crystals with their beautiful stepped faces and soft golden hues make them instantly recognizable among mineral collectors. While Witherite has a simple chemistry, it's notably difficult to find in crystals of this size and quality. This miniature sized specimen features a beautiful, pseudohexagonal crystal of translucent soft golden-beige Witherite, free of matrix . The crystal is doubly-terminated, which is rare for this material, and outside of one spot on the edge where the crystal grew against the pocket wall, the piece is in very good condition. It's much harder to find a specimen with a good quality Witherite like this on the market today, and this is a great example of this elusive, high quality material. Valued $1,250.
From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974 ( https://www.mindat.org/photo-326405.html ).