Kyanite (rare locality)

Item Description

A rarely seen old-time Kyanite from the Thomas Mine (sometimes referred to as "Balsam Gap") in North Carolina. This specimen was collected circa 1960s-1970s era, and is the only specimen from this locality that we've ever had to offer in the auctions. The piece hosts a good number of sharp, well-formed, thin, broad prismatic crystals which measure up to about 1.6 cm, with intermixed Quartz and reddish-brown Almandine Garnet. The blue color is due to ferric iron content in the crystals according to a specimen posted on mindat.org from Keith Wood. Most of the crystals are not terminated, but that's not uncommon for this material.
The piece was pictured in Collector's Guide to Silicates: Orthosilicates (written by Bob Lauf), but please note that the book is not included with this listing.
From the collection of longtime mineral collector Dr. Bob Lauf (Collection #4369) and formerly in the William McNutt Johnson collection. Bob Lauf is the author of the Mineral Collectors Guide books (Schiffer Publishing), widely seen at mineral shows and libraries. He grew up in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois, ultimately receiving a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering. His scientific career included over twenty years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he conducted research on topics ranging from nuclear fuel, coal by-products, materials synthesis, microwave processing, sensors, optical materials, and biomineralization. He has been granted over forty U.S. Patents for his inventions, many of which have become successful industrial products. He is now a Registered Patent Agent and technology consultant.