Wulfenite (classic material)

Item Description

Wulfenite is found in many world localities, but the nature of the species yields crystals that can be fairly thin / tabular (and often brittle). The complete opposite is true with regard to the iconic specimens from the Erupción Mine (Ahumada Mine) in Mexico, which are some of the thickest and most durable Wulfenites in the world. In addition, these historic specimens are some of the most easily recognizable pieces of specimens of Wulfenite from any locality for their form and color. This piece features several excellent, gorgeous, thick, fine quality, bright orange colored crystals measuring up to 1.2 cm, sitting on matrix coated by micro sparkling Hydrozincite. No major damage, and the saturated color and vitreous luster are really fine for the material, which gives the Wulfenites character and a beautiful reflective sheen, which really brings out the deep color of the crystals. The habits range from this tabular crystals to notably elongated prismatic crystals, which is rarely seen in Wulfenite.
Valued $4,500.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 1309. 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