Colemanite with Pararealgar

Item Description

This gorgeous and dramatically contrasting specimen is one of only a few known examples of this beautiful combination of species from California's famous borate district. This elongated crystal, and another similar specimen from the Minette collection, were both collected by Jim Minette in the 1960s. The association is unique, and nobody has been able to acquire these outside of the generational recycling of such a few collections. It features a spray of adjoined terminated prismatic translucent clear crystals, and in our opinions perhaps the best thumbnail of species - it is hard to imagine a better one, in any case. It has a perfect aesthetic balance. Illustrious provenance from the most famous of all TN collectors: purchased from Willard Perkin (Burbank, California) in February 1969, at TGMS Show, Tucson, in his “Perky” box with his label on the underside and price on riser. Recently published in Mineralogical Record, Refined Elegance: The Small Treasures of Mineralogy, November 2022. This is a "lost" historic piece now shown again. It is hard to value such a piece for combination of rarity and beauty, but $1500-1800 seemed reasonable as an appraisal when we purchased the collection.