SOLD
J12-485
Rhodochrosite With Pyrite
Santa Eulalia, Chihuahua, Mexico
Cabinet, 10.0 x 7.2 x 2.9 cm
SOLD
Here is a truly remarkable specimen for eye appeal, and I think the single most interesting rhodochrosite stalactite I have ever seen! It looks like a fat red worm, and is translucent when backlit (a glowing cherry red color). The pyrite cap on one end adds character and balance. Enough said - it speaks on its own merit, or not, from the great photos. Now, a funny story about this one: I bought it from a dealer labeled as "Argentina" and paid what I thought was a pretty high price for such a thing. When I got back to my office from that trip, both another dealer and then local collector Wally Mann saw it and said something to the effect of "oh, you got THAT piece...wow, I have seen it before and think its famous." A day later, Wally came back to me, showing me a 1980 Mineralogical Record issue featuring the piece - upside down, and in black-and-white, as shown in the "What's New column" from the Detroit Show in 1979! At that time, it was in the collection of Ken and Betty Roberts. Who knows how it ended up with me, with no label, but there you have it. He recognized it, and I had not caught it. A lesson is here in the value of keeping a catalogue or labels with specimens! Joe Budd photos.