Witherite (large crystal) (ex Bill and Anne Cook Collection)

Item Description

Some of the finest examples of Witherite are those from various localities in Cumbria (Cumberland) in northern England. The type locality for the species lies in this county. This piece is a large individual crystal of this barium carbonate with good internal translucency and a very light golden hue when backlit. The piece is not undamaged, as it's contacted on the back, and a few spots on the front are not complete, but it's forgivable considering the noteworthy size of the piece. Many of the Witherites from Cumbria are opaque and white, so the fact that this piece is translucent is significant. This piece was donated by James Zigras to the Rocks and Minerals benefit auction in Tucson several years ago. From the collection of William ("Bill") (1927-2006) and Anne (1928-2021) Cook of Cleveland, Ohio. This husband and wife duo were actively involved in the mineral world for many decades. Bill was a PhD geologist, and Anne was a mathematician, and they both were very serious mineral collectors. Bill served for many years as adjunct curator of mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the Micromounters' Hall of Fame on October 12, 2019. Both Bill and Anne, at various times, served as president both of the Mineralogical Society of Cleveland and of the Micromineral Society of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Anne was inducted into the mi The rare barium lithium beryllium phosphate Wilancookite was named in their honor in 2015.