Baryte (classic material)

Item Description

There are multiple localities in Colorado for attractive Baryte crystals, but the iconic specimen from Stoneham are some of the best BLUE Barytes from any US locality. Stoneham lies about 25 miles west of Sterling, Colorado for reference. The combination of good sized, gemmy crystals with excellent compositions/arrangements makes these Baryte not only instantly recognizable, but superior to many other Barytes from around the country. This piece is a fine quality and striking cabinet-sized display specimen hosting a group of fine quality, sharp, lustrous, gemmy/translucent prismatic crystals of Baryte measuring up to 7.7 cm long, sitting on pale golden colored Calcite matrix. A few of the Barytes are actually doubly-terminated, and the piece is in superb condition for the material, as many of them are often badly damaged and not very showy. Keep in mind that a good percentage of the pieces from this locality are either miniature or small cabinets, not robust cabinets like this piece, and it's a matrix specimen, which is also not easy to find in a Stoneham Baryte, most of them are off matrix. A truly impressive and important piece from this well-known locality. Valued $5,000.
This piece comes from the collection of Norm Bennett, who personally dug it during May of 1985.
ATTENTION: We are happy to announce our new book featuring the Jack Halpern collection entitled "Addicted to Beauty", which will be available in March from the Mineralogical Record. The following is an excerpt from Rob Lavinsky from the foreword of the book. "I am honored to have been entrusted with the deaccessioning of Jack Halpern’s famed collection. This book is not only designed to commemorate Jack's minerals, but also the man himself and how he inspired so many of us who are in the hobby today. Regarding the sale of his collection, Jack’s one comment and wish to me and to his family and friends was that we would carry forward his 'Legacy of Beauty' out into the broad world."
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 2132. 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