Clinoclase

specimen number:
1052844

location:
Gold Chain Mine, Mammoth, Tintic, Utah, USA

description:
A superb lustrous deep blue ball of crystallized clinoclase just under 2.0 cm in diameter on matrix. In good condition, very choice for this Utah classic. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The specimen was originally acquired through American dealer Lazard Cahn in 1914.

The Gold Chain Mine, located in the Tintic Mining District of Juab County, Utah, was incorporated in 1907 and consolidated several older claims, including the Ajax mine, which had operated since the late nineteenth century. Geologically, the mine is situated near the contact zone of the Eocene-aged monzonite intrusions that cut through thick, folded Cambrian and Ordovician sedimentary formations, such as the Ajax Limestone. The ore deposits developed as hydrothermal replacement bodies and fissure veins along faults, where mineralizing fluids deposited rich concentrations of copper, silver, and gold. Underground workings eventualy reached depths of over 1,100 feet to extract primary ore minerals like enargite, alongside various secondary copper-bearing minerals.

Lazard Cahn (1865-1940) was an American mineral dealer, collector, and crystallographer who spent much of his life based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Born in New York, Cahn relocated to Colorado in 1885, where his interest in mineralogy was sparked by the unique chemical makeup of specimens found near Pikes Peak, particularly at Saint Peter's Dome. He formally studied mineralogy at American universities and advanced crystallography in Heidelberg, Germany, eventually establishing himself as a prominent national dealer who supplied major collectors and institutions with high-quality specimens. Known for his focus on micromounts and his expertise in examining minute crystal structures with binocular microscopes, Cahn discovered a rare boro-arsenate mineral from Franklin, New Jersey, which was officially named "cahnite" in his honor in 1927. His commitment to the local mineralogical community culminated in 1936 when he helped found the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society, which elected him as its permanent honorary president.

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