Amazonite (classic "striped" crystals) (ex Brian Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

The large area of granitic pegmatites around the Lake George / Crystal Peak area of Colorado have produced the most iconic specimens of Amazonite in the world. These specimens stand out with their superior color, quality, wonderful display specimens and excellent associations. Here we have a gorgeous near large cabinet sized display specimen of his classic material featuring excellent, sharp, well-formed, STRONG blue-green color prismatic Amazonite crystals measuring up to 4.9 cm long associated with minor pale Smoky Quartz crystals. In addition to the outstanding color and quality, the Amazonite crystals feature classic beige color "stripes" along the prism faces. This is a selective deposition of another Feldspar species that was at one point thought to be Anorthite, but I've seen other reports that say otherwise. A VERY small percentage of Amazonites feature these "stripes" on the crystals, and when you find them on such richly colored crystals, it's even rarer. For comparison I found only ONE piece on mindat.org that shows the same deep color of Amazonite with these "stripes" (https://www.mindat.org/photo-156554.html). I must also point out that this specimen is COMPLETELY un-repaired, which is noteworthy as a lot of Amazonites you'll see from contemporary mining will have many repairs (sometimes dozens of repairs). Keep in mind that the best Amazonite specimens (especially UN-repaired pieces with top color) sell for big money these days, and considering how few un-repaired top quality specimens are found each year, this one would make a great addition to any collection. Please note that there is a bit of styrofoam glued to the base of the specimen, to allow for easier display, but it can be removed if so desired. This piece is from the collection of Brian Kosnar, and it was originally collected nearly 50 years ago (August 1975) by his father Richard Kosnar. Rich found some of the finest color Amazonite specimens from Colorado extant. Don't miss out on this fantastic Colorado "classic". For the size, quality, historic pedigree and overall visceral beauty, I would value this one in the $5,000 range.