Signed Namesake Minerals

Locality

Esquire #7 claim, Big Creek, Fresno Co., California, United States 

Formula

BaCa₂Si₃O₉ 

Availability

Sold

Size

5.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 cm - Sm Cabinet 

Special Info

Fluorescent 

Special Info

Signed Label 

Larger specimen with layers of orange glowing (SW UV) Walstromite. Benitoite occurs with the Walstromite and Sanbornite and shows a blue glow under SW UV. The Fresnoite is very good and is shown in the third from the last photo as yellow crystal grains to 2mm.

Walstromite is named in honor of Robert E. Walstrom (1937-2022), who discovered it while prospecting for barium. From Mindat: He has 12 minerals new to science to his credit, already published (2008), with more in the works. I never knew Bob real well, but from what I gather he was an amazing field collector as well as a great mineralogist.

A good article titled "Barium Minerals of the Sanbornite Deposits of Fresno Co., California" was published on the Mineralogical Record Axis articale V1 n8 (2005) click here.

Please see the provenance tab for Bob's signed label.

Locality

Esquire #8 claim, Big Creek, Fresno Co., California, United States 

Formula

BaCa₂Si₃O₉ 

Availability

Sold

Size

2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm - Thumbnail 

Special Info

Fluorescent 

Special Info

Signed Label 

A thumbnail specimen in which the Walstromite shows strong orange responce to SW UV.

Walstromite is named in honor of Robert E. Walstrom (1937-2022), who discovered it while prospecting for barium. From Mindat: He has 12 minerals new to science to his credit, already published (2008), with more in the works. I never knew Bob real well, but from what I gather he was an amazing field collector as well as a great mineralogist.

A good article titled "Barium Minerals of the Sanbornite Deposits of Fresno Co., California" was published on the Mineralogical Record Axis articale V1 n8 (2005) click here.

Please see the provenance tab for Bob's signed label.

Locality

Esquire #8 claim, Big Creek, Fresno Co., California, United States 

Formula

BaCa₂Si₃O₉ 

Availability

Sold

Size

5 x 3.5 x 3.3 cm - Miniature 

Special Info

Fluorescent 

Special Info

Signed Label 

Very faint green to white crystal grains showing cleavages and a bright orange color under SW UV. Just about the entire area between the green arrows is Walstromite. At the blue arrow in a bit of yellow Fresnoite.

Walstromite is named in honor of Robert E. Walstrom (1937-2022), who discovered it while prospecting for barium. From Mindat: He has 12 minerals new to science to his credit, already published (2008), with more in the works. I never knew Bob real well, but from what I gather he was an amazing field collector as well as a great mineralogist.

A good article titled "Barium Minerals of the Sanbornite Deposits of Fresno Co., California" was published on the Mineralogical Record Axis articale V1 n8 (2005) click here.

Please see the provenance tab for Bob's signed label.

Locality

Esquire #8 claim, Big Creek, Fresno Co., California, United States 

Formula

BaCa₂Si₃O₉ 

Availability

Sold

Size

6 x 4.5 x 2.5 cm - Sm Cabinet 

Special Info

Fluorescent 

Special Info

Signed Label 

Everything between the green arrows is Walstromite, which glows orange under SW UV. The Walstromite is white to colorless or faint green and shows good cleavages. There is minor Bazirite and Titantaramellite in the specimen.

Walstromite is named in honor of Robert E. Walstrom (1937-2022), who discovered it while prospecting for barium. From Mindat: He has 12 minerals new to science to his credit, already published (2008), with more in the works. I never knew Bob real well, but from what I gather he was an amazing field collector as well as a great mineralogist.

A good article titled "Baium Minerals of the Sanbornite Deposits of Fresno Co., California" was published on the Mineralogical Record Axis articale V1 n8 (2005) click here.

Please see the provenance tab for Bob's signed label.

Locality

Aghbar mine, Bou Azzer dist., Morocco 

Formula

Ca₂Mg(AsO₄)₂·2H₂O 

Availability

Sold

Size

1.2 x 1.1 x 0.7 cm - Thumbnail 

Tagged

arsenate  

Special Info

Type Locality 

Lustrous red Wendwilsonite crystals to 1mm on a small specimen. Wendwilsonite is a Ca-Mg arsenate named in 1987 by Pete Dunn et al in honor of Dr. Wendell Wilson. Wendwilsonite is the magnesium (Mg) analogue of Roselite to which it forms the solid solution series Wendwilsonite-Roselite. It is formed in cobalt-bearing hydrothermal mineral deposits.

Wendell Wilson is editor and publisher of the prestigious Mineralogical Record. He is one of the best mineralogist of our time. Wendell is almost super human with a wide range of mineralogical interest and has achieved expert status in the many facets of the science including: meteroite mineralogy, isotope geochemistry, and Lunar petrology and mineralogy.  His PhD is from the University of Minnesota. Wendell spent a summer in Washington, DC working at the Smithsonian Institution under Brian Mason. He attended ASU in Tucson and pioneered the great finds of the time including the Apache, Rowley, Ray, Old Yuma, Harquahala, Silver Bill, Silver Hill, Defiance, Mystery Tunnel, Inspiration, Magma, Red Cloud, Camp Verde, Florence, Grand Reef and 79 mine. Not too many mineral collectors has achieved what Dr. Wilson has, so 2001 he was awarded Carnegie Mineralogical Award. Oh, one more talent, he is an incredible mineral artist. 

Too read more on Wendell see the Mineralogical Record label archive and the Russian journal "Mineral Observer" volume 21, issue 3, 2016.

Wendwilsonite is found in only nine localities worldwide, which includes many famous localities including the Sterling mine, Schneeberg, Saxony and Torrecillas mine, Chile and of course this locality Bou Azzer. When you have a mineral named after yourself, you might as well have one found at all the great localities! 

You can read the original paper on Wendwilsonite in the American Mineraolgist by click this link.

Locality

Aghbar mine, Bou Azzer dist., Morocco 

Formula

Ca₂Mg(AsO₄)₂·2H₂O 

Availability

Sold

Size

0.80 x 0.6 x 0.4 cm - Thumbnail 

Tagged

arsenate  

Special Info

Type Locality 

Special Info

Signed Label 

Excellent rose-colored tabular crystals to 0.5mm.

Wendell Wilson is editor and publisher of the prestigious Mineralogical Record. He is one of the best mineralogist of our time. Wendell is almost super human with a wide range of mineralogical interest and has achieved expert status in the many facets of the science including: meteroite mineralogy, isotope geochemistry, and Lunar petrology and mineralogy.  His PhD is from the University of Minnesota. Wendell spent a summer in Washington, DC working at the Smithsonian Institution under Brian Mason. He attended ASU in Tucson and pioneered the great finds of the time including the Apache, Rowley, Ray, Old Yuma, Harquahala, Silver Bill, Silver Hill, Defiance, Mystery Tunnel, Inspiration, Magma, Red Cloud, Camp Verde, Florence, Grand Reef and 79 mine. Not too many mineral collectors has achieved what Dr. Wilson has, so 2001 he was awarded Carnegie Mineralogical Award. Oh, one more talent, he is an incredible mineral artist. 

Too read more on Wendell see the Mineralogical Record label archive and the Russian journal "Mineral Observer" volume 21, issue 3, 2016.

Wendwilsonite is found in only nine localities worldwide, which includes many famous localities including the Sterling mine, Schneeberg, Saxony and Torrecillas mine, Chile and of course this locality Bou Azzer. When you have a mineral named after yourself, you might as well have one found at all the great localities! 

You can read the original paper on Wendwilsonite in the American Mineraolgist by click this link.