Andradite Garnet with Vesuvianite and Magnetite

Item Description

Typically, the minerals that one encounters from the Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan are Tourmaline, Spodumene, etc., but the pieces from Marki Khel are actually from a metamorphic skarn. The most common minerals seen from this locality are Andradite, Vesuvianite, Epidote, Diopside, Magnetite and Clinochlore ("Chlorite"). Unlike their cousins from Pakistan, these pieces feature a different style, than what is typically seen from places like Alchuri or Tormiq. This piece hosts many sharp, lustrous, dodecahedral crystals of dark reddish-brown Andradite Garnet measuring up to 7 mm, associated with very gemmy yellow-green colored Vesuvianites, plus octahedral black Magnetite and little silvery-grey bladed crystals of Clinochlore on matrix. Most of the are damage free, and they look beautiful under magnification, though the Andradites are clearly eye-visible. An attractive specimen from this interesting occurrence in Afghanistan.
From the collection of Jack Halpern No. 4156. Jack was born May 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, but has been a long-time resident of San Francisco. He assembled one of the great mineral collections in the world encompassing over 3,200 specimens with a specific emphasis on color, quality, and style/aesthetics, which is evident in every piece. He admired specimens of all sizes from thumbnails to large cabinets and the vast majority of them rank from fine to world-class in their quality.
Above all else, Jack is considered to be the greatest gentleman in the modern era of mineral collecting. He is beloved by all those who have met him, and he truly is one of the most iconic figures in the mineral world. We recently acquired Jack's collection, and the VAST majority of these pieces will be offered here in the auctions, as we feel that everyone deserves and equal opportunity at acquiring these important, well-documented and fine quality pieces for their collections. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer Jack's treasures to everyone on a regular basis in the auctions.
We encourage you to read our blog post at https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection or his profile on the Mineralogical Record website https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/halpernjack/ for more information