Celestine (rare bi-colored crystals)

Item Description

A gorgeous and very hard to find specimen of Celestine from Beineu-Kyr, Turkmenistan, dating back to the discovery in the 1990s. These specimens were fairly short-lived on the market, and they are certainly some of the most distinctive examples of the species ever found for the fact that they are notably bi-colored, showing the classic grey-blue color on the upper portions of the crystals, but the lower portions are a strong red-orange hue due to inclusions of Hematite. You'd be hard-pressed to find any other Celestines like this, and this particular specimen is one of the better examples we've had to offer in the auctions in quite some time. The larger crystals on this specimen are notably sharp, highly lustrous and range from gemmy to WATER-CLEAR, and measure up to 2.6 cm long. I love the tapered shape of the terminations, and thin bladed habit allows the light to just pour right through the crystals. Now the piece is not pristine, as there are broken areas that can be seen, but the larger Celestine crystals all seem to be in great shape, when viewed up close. A very showy and impressive example of these elusive specimens that haven't been available on the market for almost 30 years.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#637 Ru), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms.