Willemite, Franklinite - Sterling Hill, Ogdensburg, NJ
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:5081604 | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
| Franklin Mineral Museum: Fluorescent mineral species |
A willemite and franklinite classic in miniature. Here we have a few crude crystals and several crystal sections of yellow, vitreous and transparent willemite embedded in a matrix of very coarse, white dull lustered calcite. There are a few scattered, small grains, sections and crude crystals of black, metallic franklinite. Some of the franklinite show the typical octahedral form. Willemite was named after King Willem of the Netherlands from... the locality at the Moresnet (Plombières-Altenberg-Moresnet) mining district, Verviers, Liège Province, Belgium. This species was previously discovered in 1825 and was identified as "siliceous oxyde of zinc" by Lardner Vanuxem and William Hypolitus Keating. At the time, "siliceous oxyde of zinc" was a synonym of electric calamine, now known as hemimorphite.Franklinite was named in 1819 by Pierre Berthier for the type locality of Franklin Furnace (now Franklin Borough), New Jersey. Silliman (1920) translated Berthier's article: "As the chemical nomenclature cannot in every instance furnish a name, I propose to give it that of The Franklinite, in order to remind us that it was found, for the first time, in a place to which the Americans have given the name of a great man, whose name is equally venerated in Europe as in the new world by all the friends of science an humanity." and this would obviously be Benjamin Franklin. Franklinite is a member of the spinel group, the only one of three spinel family members to have zinc, gahnite and zincochromite being the others. This species has been reported and observed in many world localities, though, nowhere else in minable quantities.The willemite fluoresces a bright green and the calcite a bright red under shortwave (254nm) ultraviolet light. There is a slight amount of pale brownish oxidization which can be treated with a cleaning solution of 50% vinegar and 50% hydrogen peroxide. This MAY clean off the oxidation. A good specimen for the beginner or for anyone assembling a suite of willemite from the Sterling Mine.Dimensions are 6.5x3.6x3cm - 2½x1½x1¼in. Please note the centimeter cube and inch bar for scale.From the Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, NJ.The previous collection this specimen was in is #123, the Princeton University Collection.#123 is the museum's Collection Sale number previously offered in the museum shop.>>> We do COMBINED SHIPPING for multiple items. To request an invoice from us that combines shipping ALWAYS click the Add to cart button in eBay to add items until you are done. DO NOT PROCEED to checkout, rather go click the Request Total from Seller button. <<< === There is an instructional video on how to request combined shipping is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvDe7Fg7R4Q === All potential buyers need to be aware of the fact being able to view fluorescent minerals requires an ultraviolet light. Most of the minerals from the Franklin and Sterling Hill zinc mining district fluoresce under shortwave ultraviolet light. The shortwave wavelength is 254nm or otherwise known as UV C. Always read the description carefully to determine if the main mineral of interest for a particular specimen will fluoresce. There are several available brands and models of ultraviolet lights on eBay and other online sources. For further information on ultraviolet light and fluorescent mineral go to this link, [link removed by eBay].>>>> We Buy Collections <<<<DISCLAIMER: Every reasonable effort was made to accurately identify the mineral specie(s) noted in each specimen. The occasional label from previous collection(s) may misidentify some species and the current title and description here reflects the latest mineral specie(s) identification. A modest effort was made to depict a fluorescent specimen accurately as possible, but some overexposure should be expected in some photographs to compensate for a weak response of a fluorescent specimen.--- All photographs appearing on this listing or any other Franklin Mineral Museum listing are the property of the Franklin Mineral Museum. Photographs can be used strictly for personal use only. Otherwise the photographs posted here are protected by U.S. Copyright Laws, and are not to be downloaded or reproduced for public use or distribution in any way without the written permission of the Franklin Mineral Museum. ---
