Benitoite with Neptunite (classic material) (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Benitoite is one of those minerals that is essentially tied to a single world locality. Although it is found in a few places around the world, nearly every collector associates it the specimens from the famous and now closed Gem Mine. This piece hosts a classic, fine quality, sharp, trigonal, beautiful blue crystal of Benitoite measuring 1.1 cm associated with lustrous, prismatic, very dark reddish-black Neptunite crystals measuring up to 1.6 cm sitting on white Natrolite on soft blue-grey Crossite matrix. The Benitoite crystal shows a fairly gemminess when backlit, with that classic blue color. These specimens are becoming incredibly hard to find now, and are highly sought after by collectors. Even though Benitoite is well-known from this locality, it's still an incredibly rare mineral worldwide. From the worldwide mineral collection of Richard A. Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado. The rare potassium zirconium phosphate Kosnarite was named in his honor in 1993.