SOLD
MD-118146
Baryte
Dalmellington Mine, Frizington, West Cumberland Iron Field, North and Western Region (Cumberland), Cumbria, England, UK
Large Cabinet, 17.0 x 13.0 x 7.3 cm
SOLD
Series of stacked golden-green and supremely lustrous Baryte crystals that are doubly terminated. The luster on this piece is great, almost as good as it gets. English Barytes have a long and storied history, and have proven to be highly desirable specimens for this reason and their sheer beauty, the yellow ones like this unsurpassed by any other locality since their origins in the mid-1800s. This one is surely from that heyday era, mid to late 1800s. This one will not disappoint for display though - the history is a bonus. Most of the crystals are over 10 cm, with the longest exceeding 13 cm! Many of the terminations are gemmy chisel points, quite classic in form and far better than the norm in quality. There are but a few dings, quite amazing in it own right to have such negligible damage; and it is very 3-D and complete all around. I need to state that there is one clean repair to a smaller tip that you would not even know is there unless I admitted it (truly). I have seen very few English Barytes to match the quality and aesthetics of this specimen. To add to the pedigree of this fine piece, please note that it was originally purchased by the American Museum of Natural History via the Bruce Fund, and endowment established by Mrs. Matilda W. Bruce of NYC many years ago. It retains the American Museum of Natural History label circa early 1900s.