A small cluster of sturmanite crystals. These elongated hexagonal crystals are well formed with the largest being 2.6cm in length x 0.9cm in width. All these crystals are terminated on one end. The outer surface is brown colour while the cores appear to be black. These crystals are described as an epimorph with sturmanite outside and ettringite inside. The black around the base of the crystals might be hausmannite.
This specimen was in the late Fred d’Esopo collection. Fred was an advanced upstate New York collector with a very large collection set up like a museum in his home. His vast mineral collection was purchased by the Kendigs in 2000. He was the driving force behind the Utica Mineral Club, which is now defunct. William Pinch, also from New York, provided Fred with many specimens. Fred’s collection evolved through the years from self-collected road-side trips to the fluorescents at Franklin, New Jersey, to gorgeous aesthetic specimens, then later to the more unusual and hard-to-find rare species.
