Quartz

specimen number:
1052616

location:
Isere, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France

description:

A cluster of glassy gemmy colorless to orange quartz crystals coming off matrix. Some damage present, overall still in good condition. At one time part of the collection of Wilhelm Hoyer, this would date to the 19th century. The color is due to iron oxide.

Wilhelm Hoyer was a prominent nineteenth-century German engineer and mineral collector based in Hanover who made significant contributions to the documentation of European mineralogy. Professionally involved in the development of the German railway system, Hoyer utilized his travels and industrial connections to assemble an extensive and high-quality collection, with a particular focus on the diverse mineral species of the Harz Mountains and the classic localities of Saxony. His collection was noted by contemporaries for its systematic organization and the inclusion of rare crystallized specimens that documented the peak of Central European underground mining. Historically, Hoyer is remembered for his collaboration with leading mineralogists of the era, and after his death, a substantial portion of his life's work was integrated into major institutional archives, including the University of Bonn. His legacy remains relevant through 2026 as his preserved specimens, often still accompanied by his original handwritten labels, provide a vital historical record of localities that have long been inaccessible or exhausted.

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