Bleicherode, Nordhausen, Thuringia, Germany
30.5 cm tall x 16.5 cm wide
From a recent discovery, comes a sculptural masterpiece. The sharp and clear selenite crystals have iron oxide inclusions giving them a glowing orangy yellow color, each is sharply terminated with a fascinating twinned structure. The accompanying halite crystals are multistepped cubes randomly growing from the thick selenite crystals.
Halite is sodium chloride, commonly known as salt. Halite is one of the earliest minerals mined on earth. It is connected to the history of human evolution. It has been valued and treasured by civilizations before recorded history. Kings and queens went to war over it. Cities were built upon it. Economies relied on it. Entire cultures grew up around it. This mineral is connected to the history of the world as we know it.
This piece is a collector quality example that transcends its history. Both of these minerals tend to be clear in nature. In this piece, we are fortunate that parts of it were intermixed with an iron oxide (which one is unknown to us as there are 16 possible versions). With this specimen, we see three relatively common species crystallizing together to create something spectacular: a tour-de-force of clarity, color, and architectural form.