Axinite-(Fe) with Albite

Item Description

Here we have a very showy small cabinet sized specimen of Axinite-(Fe) from this "Alpine-type" deposit at Khaplu, in the high mountains of Pakistan. The piece features a beautiful, gemmy, thin bladed crystal with good internal gemminess, sharp faces and a lovely clove purple hue measuring 3.7 cm, sitting among translucent, lustrous, fairly thick tabular crystals of Albite which range from white to a soft greenish hue due to minor "Byssolite" inclusions. A bit of dark green Epidote can be seen on the piece as well for a nice touch. The Axinite crystal is in very good shape, with only a tiny bit of roughness on one edge. If you collect "Alpine-type" minerals, this is something that you rarely see on the market. These crystals compare quite favorably to the famous metamorphic Axinites that came out of Russia in the 1990s or true Alpine Axinites from France that were the standard for Axinite-(Fe) for a long time. It's not easy to find a matrix crystal of Axinite with Albite in this this size from any locality, so don't miss out on this one as very few were found at Khaplu, and this is an older specimen going back to the mid 2000s. Valued at $1,200.