Wulfenite (classic material)

Item Description

Wulfenite is a well-known secondary lead species. It is widespread in oxidized/secondary ore environments around the world. Wulfenite is truly adored by collectors, certainly one of the most popular species out there. Wulfenite crystals typically are found in thin tabular (and often brittle) examples, but the famous specimens from Los Lamentos are some of the thickest and most durable Wulfenites in the world. Furthermore, these classic specimens are some of the most recognizable examples of Wulfenite from any locality. This piece features a full coverage of lovely, thick, fine quality, dark brown-orange colored crystals measuring up to 1.7 cm, sitting on Calcite on oxidized matrix. Most of the crystals are in excellent condition, with only a few small nicks I can see. A showy and eye-catching piece of this well-known material. I love the slick vitreous lusters on the crystals, which gives them character and a beautiful reflective sheen.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 1342. 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-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information