RHQTZ-08
Quartz (Japan Law Twin)
Miyamoto village, Kohu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Small Cabinet, 7.5 x 6.1 x 2.7 cm
Ex. Richard Hauck; Frederick A. Canfield
SOLD
These original Japanese quartzes from which Japan law twinning was described initially are old classics of the late 1800s and early 1900s, rarely seen for sale in sizable specimens of quality today! It is, sadly, damaged on both on the lower-left side on and just past the prismatic associate crystals's termination; as well as with a slight cleave on the back of the other termination (not seen from front). Still, overall, this is a superbly aesthetic, dramatic piece for Japan, with elegant display. Given this, and the historic importance of the piece, I can live with a little damage so long as the eye doesn't go right to it (which it does not). The old Frederick Canfield label dates this to 1914, though it probably came to him already in an old collection as these came out even in the late 1800s, one would think. Courtesy of Alfredo Petrov: "mura" means village, "Kai" is now Yamanashi, so it's Miyamoto village in Yamanashi Prefecture.Interestingly, I have never seen a genuine Canfield label on a specimen for sale. Looking up the collection on the Mineralogical Record's Archives site, I found this note: Canfield bequeathed his entire (personal) mineral collection, plus a $50,000 endowment for its support and enlargement, to the Smithsonian Institution.. A comment from Smithsonian Collection Manager Dr. Paul Pohwat on the piece: An examination of the label shows that the specimen left Canfields possession and never saw NMNH. The lettered "Presented by