DALLAS, TX.- Collectors of the world's finest minerals know what comes from Rock.

A trove of 270 spectacular items from the personal collection of Rock H. Currier, a legend among mineral collectors, will come to auction for the first time February 7 in Heritage Auctions' Nature & Science Signature® Auction.

The event will be the second installment of minerals from Currier's collection offered through Heritage. The first Rock H. Currier Collection of Fine Minerals Auction topped $3.4 million in sales in August 2019.

A preview will be taking place at La Fuente de Piedras (1735 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, Arizona 85795) during the world-renowned Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. The auction will be streamed from Dallas to Tucson at 12 p.m. (Mountain Time) on February 7 to also accommodate live bidders via Internet at the Tucson preview.

The cache includes, of course, myriad spectacular minerals, but also one-of-a-kind rarities like an "Inner City" Pewter Figurine Collection (Proceeds to Benefit mindat.org), miner's art in the form of a Painted Tsumeb Calcite or even a Fur Coat (Proceeds to Benefit mindat.org) as outsized as the personality of the man who wore it.

Currier responded to losing his job in 1972 by becoming a mineral dealer, launching Jewel Tunnel Imports – known throughout the mineral collecting world simply as "JTI."

"Rock Currier was a huge presence among collectors, recognized immediately as he traveled the world collecting high-quality minerals for JTI, but also for his own personal collection," Heritage Auctions Nature & Science Director Craig Kissick said. "What he built was a reflection of his endless knowledge and his lifelong passion for seeking out the finest minerals available anywhere.

"But this collection is more than the spectacular minerals in it. This collection is Rock Currier. He was a larger-than-life presence at shows around the world, a dynamic personality that took over the room everywhere he went. Collectors know their minerals, and they knew him, so it's only appropriate that this collection includes things like his fur coat and the miner's art, eccentric lots that matched his persona. This auction represents a rare opportunity for the most serious collectors to acquire part of what he built over his lifetime, part of his legacy."

Highlights in the auction include, but are not limited to:

A Pink Tourmaline, Rutilated Quartz, & Gold Necklace from Nova Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil (estimate: $6,000+) is a result of one of Currier's favorite pastimes: using miscellaneous mineral specimens to create jewelry. The pink Tourmaline in the center is complemented by three triangular Rutilated Quartz gems, each mounted in a delicate 14K Gold construction. The offered necklace features a massive 14K Gold chain.




A Russian Fluorite on Quartz (estimate: $3,000+) includes two extremely large, transparent green Fluorite cubes on a base of perfect sparkling white Quartz crystals. Currier traveled extensively throughout Russia, effectively opening the mineral trade with those behind the "Iron Curtain." He had extensive experience with specimens from Dal'negorsk, the town in Primorsky Krai that yielded the offered example.

There was a time when geodes like this "Gem" Chrysocolla, Quartz, & Malachite specimen from the Miami-Inspiration Mining District in Arizona (estimate: $2,000+) relatively common, but growing public demand significantly diminished available examples, especially for those in top condition. This example, which Currier said he bought when Norm Hoffler sold his collection in 1987, measures 3.7 inches (9.4 cm) in length and weighs 186 grams.

A Quartz Sphere with Spessartine from Minas Gerais, Brazil(estimate: $2,000+) is not the first Rutile-included Quartz sphere offered through Heritage Auctions, but Garnet inclusions are decidedly rarer. This beauty includes brilliant red gems of Spessartine that "float" suspended in glassy Quartz, polished to perfection. The sizable Quartz sphere itself is a light smoky color, adding contrast to the floating Spessartines. Currier had a soft spot for quality inclusion pieces, and it shows throughout his collection in examples like this one.

A gorgeous Native Gold Nugget from Western Australia (estimate: $14,000+) tips the scales at 117 grams, or 3.76 ounces. Uncovered in Western Australia, a region that yields may large nuggets, it contains a couple of holes, perhaps suitable for a Gold chain if the lucky winner has the panache to pull off that look. Enormously popular and in constant demand, Native Gold is an element and a mineral, and always contains some measure of Silver, which can impact the color. Demand centers on a number of factors, including its beautiful color, its resistance to tarnish and the utter rarity. It is the principal form in which Gold occurs naturally. This beautiful nugget measures 1.8 inches long.

Other top lots in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• Native Gold from Placer County, California (estimate: $2,000+)

• Calcite from Egremont, Cumberland, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom (estimate: $2,000+)

• Realgar from Jiepaiyu Mine (Shimen Mine), Hunan Province, China (estimate: $2,000+)

• Hemimorphite from Wenshan, Yunnan, China (estimate: $2,000+)

• Cyanotrichite from Vieja Mine, Potrerillos, Chañaral Province, Atacama, Chile (estimate: $2,000+)

• Pyrite from Huanzala Mine, Huallanca, Bolognesi Province, Áncash, Peru (estimate: $2,000+)

• Manganite from Manganese Deposit, Ilfeld, Harztor, Thuringia, Germany (estimate: $2,000+)