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Realgar

Name: Realgar
SKU: 32575-PT
Price: 175.00 CAD
Availability: OutOfStock

32575-PT Category: _Archives –specimens pending sale or deletion

Green River Gorge, King Co., Washington

USA

Dimensions: 3.6x1.5x3.1 cm

Price: CA

This specimen features saturated cherry-red realgar crystals completely covering the front face of its matrix. While most of the crystals are intact, some exhibit minor bruising. These crystals originate from a renowned Washington locality, with many specimens collected prior to the 1960s. Realgar is known to fade and decay into orpiment if exposed to sunlight, indicating that this piece has been meticulously preserved in the dark for decades. It is understood that most specimens from this locality have undergone acid etching to expose the realgar embedded in calcite veins. This specimen also includes an L. Riechel Collection label. Extremely rare to find these these days, but they do pop up from old collections such as this occasionally.

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This specimen comes from the collection of Peter Tarassoff, a prominent figure in mineralogy, particularly known for his work at Mont Saint-Hilaire (MSH). His diligent collecting and examination efforts have led him to be the first to identify at least 35 species and discover 12 new species, not only at MSH but also at other alkaline localities. Dubbed the "Dean" of Mont Saint-Hilaire collectors, Peter was honoured with the naming of the new species petarasite in 1980. He has authored or co-authored numerous mineralogical articles and has been a member of the Mineralogical Association of Canada since 1964 and the Mineralogical Society of America for over 30 years. Additionally, Peter has volunteered at the Redpath Museum for the past 21 years. In recognition of his significant contributions to mineralogy, Dr. Peter Tarassoff was awarded the 2017 Pinch Medal by the Mineralogical Association of Canada.

Peter's dedication to systematic collecting, curating his collection, and maintaining an archive of detailed historical and scientific information has greatly benefited the mineral sciences community both in Canada and globally. All specimens from this collection come with the original P. Tarassoff collection label.

Note: All prices are in Canadian dollars (CAD). International customers are charged in CAD, exchange rate is calculated automatically by your bank/paypal upon checkout.

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