University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 23, March 13


            Kunzite crystal donated to campus Mineral Room

     UD mineral museum curator Peter B. Leavens, geology,
turns a pear-shaped pink and lavender gem in his palm. "Many
people might be surprised to know that we have a gem of this
quality and rarity right here," he says.
     The gem in question, a 614-carat cut kunzite recently
donated by William M. Ryan of Wilmington and one of his
sons, may be the second-largest, faceted specimen in the
world. A somewhat larger kunzite gem is part of a
Smithsonian Institution collection, Leavens says, but UD's
$27,630 stone is "exceptionally beautiful and exceptionally
large."
     It will complement a celebrated natural kunzite crystal
already on display in the Irne du Pont Mineral Room,
located in Penny Hall on Academy Street. Recovered from
Heriart Mountain in California's San Diego County, the uncut
crystal is among the specimens illustrated in an early
authoritative guide to California gems, says Leavens.
     Kunzite is "trichroic," meaning it changes color-from
nearly clear to pink to lilac-depending on the viewer's
perspective, Leavens explains. A few specialty jewelers sell
kunzite, which is comparable to aquamarine in value. But,
Leavens says, kunzite "remains a mineral of limited
distribution."
     Kunzite is a variety of spodumene, a lithium silicate
named by a 19th-century minerologist from the Greek word for
"ashy," because of its usual dull color. The first kunzite
crystals were discovered around the turn of this century in
California. When the late Tiffany's executive George Kunz
identified the beautiful lilac-pink crystals as a form of
spodumene, he called them kunzite. After World War II,
Leavens says, kunzite also was discovered in Brazil and
Afghanistan.
     Tiffany's kunzite and other crystals were purchased by
the late Irne du Pont, who became president of the DuPont
Co. in 1918. The collector's family later donated his
minerals to the University, which opened the Irne du Pont
Mineral Room on April 18, 1971. Initial support for the
museum also was provided by the Crystal Trust.
      Ten years later, Mrs. David Craven, du Pont's niece
and a major patron of the museum, supported a renovation and
expansion of the facility. It was rededicated on April 4,
1981. Mrs. Craven's continued support has made it possible
to assemble a collection that ranks among the world's best
mineral displays, Leavens says. "Thanks to her loyalty," he
adds, "we have a museum that can attract donations such as
this fine kunzite gem."
     The University's new kunzite gem hails from an unknown
mine in Brazil or Afghanistan, says Ryan, a retired
physicist who worked for the DuPont Co. before launching an
investment management firm. Ryan and his son acquired the
gem in the 1980s, while on a collecting trip to Tucson,
Ariz., and San Diego County, Calif.
     With an undergraduate degree in physics from the
University of Pennsylvania, graduate work in petrology from
Harvard University and field work in geology at the
University of Colorado, Ryan was well-qualified to recognize
the value of his kunzite crystal. He commissioned gem cutter
John L. Ramsey of California to chisel it into a modified
pear shape, measuring 4.5 centimeters by 5.5 centimeters by
4 centimeters. Appraised by Wayne C. Leicht of Laguna Beach,
Calif., the stone was described as a well-cut, fine, intense
purple/pink specimen that displays well.
     An instructor in the University's Academy of Lifelong
Learning, Ryan had seen the school's kunzite crystal and
knew his family's polished gemstone "would be a good fit."
     Including 700 items worth more than $1.25 million, the
Irne du Pont Mineral Room "is widely considered one of the
top 10 display collections in the country," Leavens says.
Among college displays, he notes, the museum is probably
second only to Harvard's much larger collection.
     Herbert Obodda, a leading independent mineral dealer,
gives the UD museum high marks. "The specimens are unusually
well selected," he says. "Many museums have random samples.
From an aesthetic point of view, the University of Delaware
collection is unique, with many beautiful, rare pieces of
the highest quality, displayed in an intimate setting. It's
warm, and you can relate to it."
     The collection reflects Leavens' appreciation for great
art, as well as his understanding of natural geologic forms.
"Italian futurists, in the early part of this century, said
that the square does not exist in nature," he says, pointing
to a perfect cube of pyrite, or fool's gold. "I call this my
Square in Nature." Leavens describes quartz festooned with
pyrite as "a tray of hors d'oeuvres made by a robotic chef
with a short circuit." A hefty crystal of Tennessee
calcite-the material in limestone, marble and Tums-looks
like a football, he says.
     A "Native Elements" case includes brilliant gold from
California, plus shining silver pieces and reddish hunks of
copper.
     One massive silver piece was pulled from a famous
Norwegian mine, where crystals grew distorted, resembling
thick cables. A remarkable copper crystal was owned by the
late Baroness Burdett-Coutts, a famous 19th-century British
noblewoman.
     Miniature specimens donated by the late DuPont Co.
engineer Frederick Keidel and locally collected items, such
as Pennsylvania actinolite covered with hairy-looking
fibers, also are displayed in the museum. Six cases are
devoted to silicates, a category encompassing quartz, topaz,
garnets and aquamarine.
     The free exhibit is open from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.,
weekdays, in Penny Hall on Academy Street. Items may be
viewed on the World Wide Web at  http://www.udel.edu/
geology/leavens/mineral.html
                                          -Ginger Pinholster