DALLAS, TX.- When she met her future husband some 55 years ago in Bremerton, Washington, across Puget Sound from Seattle, Hisami McNeil knew very little about the hobby he had pursued since he was a child. Growing up near the mineral-rich region of Hiddenite, N.C., Jimmy McNeil turned a suggestion from his parents into a lifelong search, a hunt that began with the pursuit of quartz, fossils and gemstones.

As his interest grew, so too did his collection, a trove that he expanded in the field and at swaps, rock shows and mineral gatherings. He introduced his future wife to his hobby, and together they built an extraordinary collection of minerals, nearly 200 of which will find new homes when they are sold in The Collection of Jimmy & Hisami McNeil Fine Minerals Signature® Auction June 27 at Heritage Auctions.

“This collection, some of which was pulled from some less-than-fertile locations, is remarkable, and reflects the McNeils’ pursuit of elite examples and the years they invested in that search,” says Nic Valenzuela, Heritage’s Director of Fine Minerals. “From extraordinary Rhodochrosites to Fluorites, Quartz and Wulfenite, their collection is extremely impressive, in its depth and aesthetic appeal.”

The collection includes 18 Rhodochrosites, none better than a stunning example from the N’Chwaning Mines in Northern Cape, South Africa. Specimens from that locality are among the most desired for the species, thanks to their rich, cherry-red hue and sharp scalenohedral crystals. The example offered in this auction is an extremely showy representative with dozens upon dozens of tightly packed, flashy, beautifully terminated Rhodochrosite crystals that reach up to 3.7 centimeters in height. Every single crystal is gemmy, allowing for an almost fiery internal glow when the specimen is illuminated. The Rhodochrosite is off-matrix, but the lower half is more deeply saturated with a dark red-brown color, giving a natural “pedestal” against which the vibrant upper levels stand out.

Of the 18 Rhodochrosite specimens offered in the auction, 16 come from Japan’s Oppu Mine, a source that is prized within the collecting community, because it did not produce many specimens, and those that were found were snatched up quickly by those eager to add to their collections. Among the specimens offered in the auction are a massive example that measures 13.03 inches (33.1 centimeters) in length, and another that measures 11.46 inches (29.1 centimeters). Unlike the South African example with its scalenohedral crystals, the Oppu Rhodochrosites are engulfed in salmon-pink botryoides and bands of Rhodochrosite. Cavernous alcoves that can be viewed from the sides contain sizable, bubbly clusters of Rhodochrosite.

One of the truly rare treasures that will be in play in the auction is an Amethyst from Eonyang, in the South Gyeongsang Provice in South Korea. Multiple complete scepters make up this specimen, with the largest (6.7 centimeters) being presented at the forefront of the display. Every one of the crystals rises upward with a thick, smoky-grey stalk and dramatically shift to an intense purple hue throughout the termination. South Korean Amethyst specimens are hard to come by and coveted by collectors, because the mining area ceased its operations and was converted into an amusement park.

Also offered are a pair of Smoky Quartz and Feldspar specimens, both from Japan’s Ena District. One, measuring 2.13 inches (5.4 centimeters), includes a beautifully terminated, ivory-colored pillar of Feldspar, towering over the dark Quartz crystal. The other, slightly larger example measures 3.11 inches (7.9 centimeters) and features the opposite presentation, with a well-terminated crystal of Smoky Quartz rising above the white matrix of Feldspar.

One immediate attention-grabber is a Quartz Cluster from the Ron Coleman Mine in Blue Springs, Arkansas. This magnificent specimen is notable for its aesthetic appearance and the size of the primary crystal — it measures 6.81 inches (17.3 centimeters) but also because it is published on the cover of Collecting Crystals: The Guide to Quartz in Arkansas, a copy of which is included for the winning bidder. Hailing from one of the more prolific Quartz mines in “The Natural State” — a moniker adopted by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1995 — it also features another sizable crystal that rises about halfway up the main Quartz prism to give the piece a check mark-shaped arrangement. Several smaller but very showy Quartz points are strewn across and bristle outward from the side faces of the main crystal, giving the piece an added level of three-dimensionality from virtually every angle.

Other top lots include, but are not limited to:

• A Fluorite from the Xianghuapu Mine in Hunan, China
• A Wulfenite with Calcite from the Kuruktag Mountains in Xinjiang, China
• A Dioptase on Calcite from the Tsumeb Mine in the Oshikoto Region, Namibia
• An Aquamarine with Feldspar and Garnet from the Nagar District in Pakistan
• A Spessartine (Garnet) from the Navegadora claim in Minas Gerais, Brazil
• An Emerald, Pyrite, and Quartz from the Chivor Mine in Boyacá, Colombia