Prehnite on Epidote

Item Description

A wonderful and highly recognizable association specimen from the impressive finds in the early 2000s in Mali. These discoveries produced some of the most well-known and significant pieces of Prehnite in recent memory. This miniature sized piece features a few spherical, lovely green color Prehnite "balls" sitting atop an aesthetic diverging group of crystallized dark brown-green Epidote prisms. The largest Prehnite "ball" measures 1.3 cm across, and the largest Epidote (which is doubly-terminated) measures 3.9 cm. The Prehnites are gemmy/translucent, and they light up with that glowing green color when backlit. No damage on the front/display side, but there are a few separation marks on the back where the piece was removed from the pocket wall.
Formerly in the collection of William ("Bill") Pinch (August 15, 1940 - April 1, 2017) of Rochester, New York. Bill was one of the most knowledgeable and accomplished mineral collectors / amateur mineralogist of the 20th century, and he was the namesake for the rare mercury oxyhalide species, Pinchite. The prestigious Pinch medal, which is typically awarded at the Tucson Gem And Mineral Show by the Mineralogical Association of Canada is also named in his honor. You can read his bio at the following link ( http://www.williampinch.com/about ).