FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Matt_Zukowski]

There is an auction that people may want to be aware of (or be entertained by watching). Hester Diamond was an art dealer/collector and interior designer who also collected some mineral specimens. Some of her art and furniture, and all of her minerals, are right now being auctioned by Sotheby's:
https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/fearless-the-collection-of-hester-diamond-part-ii?locale=en

My favorite specimen being auctioned is a Huanzala fluorite on pyrite.

Hester's collection was shown in the Collections of the North East supplemental edition of Min Rec. Hester was a very interesting person. Just check out how she displayed her minerals, and how they fit into her colorful/eclectic apartment. There is a bunch of biographical information spread over the Sotheby's pages describing this auction if you are interested.

I am curious - how many of you knew about this auction?

[James Catmur]

I did not know about it. But that might be because I do not buy in auctions

[Carles Millan]

[John Betts]

My favorite line is the catalog (for Lot 265, Cuprosklodowskite) is:

"Note: As a secondary uranium mineral, this specimen may have a small amount of residual radioactivity..."

That species is among the hottest radioactive minerals known.

[John Betts]

The other interesting thing in the auction is "A Fine Pink Smithsonite, Sinaloa, Mexico, USA"

Aside from Mexico not being a part of the USA (yet), is that the specimen was illustrated in Mineral Collections of the North East supplement to Min Rec. as from "Kelly Mine, New Mexico" which was clearly in error, and the dealer that sold it, and Min. Rec. editors should have known better.

[John S. White]

Perhaps you can fault her curator John Trinchillo

[alfredo]

[James Catmur]

I think there might be another 'hot' specimen in there - but hard to prove

[minsur]

OMG - what hammer prices...
Sensitive early indicators of inevitable inflation or just too many first time buyers?
Admittedly, this 80k Emerald specimen must obviously look like THE ultimative bargain to someone interested in multi-million old master paintings. But after all, the paintings do not show multiple fissures (or have at least gone through a good lab);-)
And all these glued Spanish Pyrites - OMG again, again and again:-(

[Fiebre Verde]

[minsur]

Indeed - you are perfectly right. Who knows in these times...
But I think in a good lab, they would have "cured" at least the thick through-going fissure with its suspicious looking triangle.
Anyway, the Pyrites do not look as if they had spent too many time in the lab;-)))

[Fiebre Verde]