2013 June 2 Nature & Science Signature Auction - Dallas #5110 June 2nd at 12 pm CT Auction Info | View Lots

Natural History, Session 2 June 2 at 4:00 PM CT Part of Auction #5110 View Lots

We are proud to bring you this preview glimpse of the Hoppel Collection — one of the largest, finest, and most significant mineral collections to be brought to auction. Unveiled at the recent 2013 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, the Hoppel Collection was greeted with amazement. This hidden treasure was the talk of the show — the overwhelming magnitude of the collection stopped people in their tracks.

The Hoppel Collection, assembled during the 1990s and early 2000s by a wealthy industrialist, remained hidden from public view in a private museum. It consists of an astonishing 2,000+ specimens — the breadth and scope of which is unparalleled. There are unique world-class, one-of-a-kind museum level specimens, aesthetic examples from classic localities, historic specimens, fine crystals and gems, rare species, and unusual localities. Never has such a unique assemblage been offered at auction — and nearly all of it at no reserve. This is an opportunity for collectors and dealers alike to obtain specimens in an open and transparent forum.

There is such a wealth of specimens that the collection will be presented in a series of Signature® and Internet auctions during 2013 and 2014. The first Signature Auction will take place in Dallas on Sunday, June 2, 2013.

Should you have any questions about the contents of the collection, please don't hesitate to contact us. We hope that you will be as intrigued and excited by the Hoppel Collection as we are and join us at the auctions!

Highlights of the First Hoppel Auction Include
Rhodochrosite Sweet Home Mine, Alma Dist., Park Co., Colorado 11.5 x 5 inches (29.2 x 12.7 cm) Estimate: $150,000+		Linarite Blanchard Mine, Bingham, Hansonburg Dist. Socorro Co., New Mexico 2.75 x 2 inches (7 x 5 cm) with largest crystal 1 inch (2.5 cm) long Estimate: $30,000+
Native Gold Eagle's Nest Mine, Placer Co., California 5.5 x 4 inches (14 x 10.2 cm) Estimate: $30,000+	Apophyllite on Stilbite The Snow Angel Momin Akhada, Ahmadnagar Dist., Maharashtra, India 10.5 x 8 inches (26.7 x 20.3 cm) Estimate: $15,000+	Aquamarine Medina, Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil 9 x 1.5 inches (23 x 4 cm) Estimate: $150,000+ Exceptional gem crystal from the iconic 1997 find.	Stibnite Lubilhac, Haute-Loire, Auvergne, France 8.5 x 5 inches (21.6 x 12.7 cm) Estimate: $25,000+ Label from London mineral dealer Samuel Henson dates specimen to 1888-1914. A very rare and exceptional Stibnite.
Pyromorphite Les Farges Mine, Ussel, Corrèze, Limousin, France 2 x 1.75 inches (5.1 x 4.4 cm) Estimate: $8,000+	Native Copper Copper crystal inside of copper vug Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan 3 x 2 inches (7.6 x 5 cm) Estimate: $5,000+	Sapphire Passara Gem Mine, Badulla, Uva Province, Sri Lanka 2 x 1.25 inches (5 x 3.2 cm) Estimate: $15,000+	Rhodochrosite N'Chwaning Mine, Kuruman, N.Cape Prov., South Africa 1.75 x 1 inches (4.4 x 2.5 cm) Estimate: $10,000+

La Madona Rosa (the Pink Madonna) is an exceptionally large and beautiful specimen of Rose Quartz bearing a strong resemblance to traditional depictions of the Virgin Mary.

The smoky Quartz "body" of the Madonna is an abstract composition of vaguely human form, bearing a multitude of scintillating surfaces. The overall effect is completed by a wide ribbon or "halo" of sparkling Rose Quartz crystals, completely outlining the body of the Madonna and enhancing the resemblance to classical statues and icons. Measuring an impressive 15.5 x 8 inches (39 x 20 cm), it towers over all other known Rose Quartz specimens and stands in a league of its own.

In the late 1950s, miners working a small mine in Brazil, found a miraculous pocket of Rose Quartz: although only six inches wide and 12 inches high, the pocket extended for 16 feet in length. It was filled with deep pink, Rose Quartz crystals draped sinuously over smoky Quartz — a unique association not seen before, or since.

The miners at "Sapucaia" (the mine's informal name because of its proximity to that town) had hit the jackpot — Rose Quartz had never been seen before this discovery. Later finds in Brazil also yielded additional Rose Quartz specimens (notably Lavra da Ilha and Alto da Pitora) but none approached the sheer size and beauty of the specimens from Lavra Berilo Branco — they became the "gold standard" for Rose Quartz. The only other major example known from this historic find, is the "Van Allen Belt" which currently resides in the Smithsonian.

Examination of La Madona Rosa's features leads to the conclusion that, in all likelihood it came from the original "Sapucaia" (Lavra Berilo Branco) discovery. But attempts to pin down the history of this particular specimen break down at a certain point. Some opine that it was produced during the original discovery of 1959 and remained hidden for decades in the collection of a Brazilian gentleman before emerging to the notice of the outside world. Another account states that it was "discovered" in Brazil in 1972 (the mine had been in sporadic operation until 1973). Whatever its origin, it was acquired by a London gemstone collector in 1972. It was sold in 1977 to a U.S. gem collector and resided in that collection for twenty years — its significance unrecognized for decades.

It surfaced at the 1997 Tucson Gem & Mineral show, where it was recognized for its considerable potential. Modern cleaning and trimming measures were performed and the end result is nothing short of spectacular. It was subsequently sold into the Hoppel Collection and held a central position in that collection — hidden from public view until now.

Enter La Madona Rosa, a 'dark horse' challenger for the title of world's finest Rose Quartz specimen since the "Van Allen Belt." The question arises: why hasn't the public heard of it before? The truth is both mysterious and also very typical.

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