Colemanite (excellent historic specimen)

Item Description

A fantastic old-time matrix specimen of impressive, sharp, gemmy to translucent, well-formed, light tan colored crystals of Colemanite from Ryan in Death Valley, California. The crystals measure up to a 2.1 cm . Excellent condition all around, despite a few contacted crystals here and there. You rarely see Colemanite specimens with crystals this size and quality, and a piece like this is a certainly a treasure for its history/pedigree as it comes from the collection of James G. Manchester (1871-1948) #421, the famed mineral collector and author of the book "The Minerals of New York City & Its Environs". James' wife Florence died in 1919, and he donated thousands of specimens in her honor with labels from the "Florence Pilkington Manchester Memorial Collection" to the Public Library in their hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. This piece is accompanied by one of those labels. Because of this label, we know the piece was collected prior to 1919, so it's well over 100 years old! An important specimen, fine quality and easily displayable. You won't find another like this available on the market anywhere else right now, so don't miss out.