Rutile

Perched at the peak of this thumbnail-sized specimen is the sharp termination of a striated, dark brownish-red, prismatic twinned rutile crystal, attractively set on matrix. It originates from locality situated just north of the Ottawa River. Rutile specimens from this lesser-known Canadian site are fairly uncommon on the market, making this a particularly interesting locality piece—especially for collectors of twins and worldwide rutile crystals.

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This specimen comes from the collection of Dr. 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. Additionally, Peter has volunteered at the Redpath Museum for the past 21 years, where he was formally appointed the Honorary Curator of Mineralogy. In recognition of his significant contributions to mineralogy, Peter was awarded the 2017 Pinch Medal.