Chloritoid (twin) (superb rare crystals)

Item Description

In the late 1990s, there was an isolated discovery of fine quality Chloritoid crystals in the Skardu area of Pakistan. Few specimens were found, but they have remained among the finest examples of the species ever seen. Chloritoid is a valid species (it's actually the namesake of its own mineral group), and although it bears a resemblance minerals of the Chlorite Group, they are not chemically nor structurally related. This piece is one of the finest examples of this limited and superb material featuring several excellent, very sharp, rather lustrous, dark black monoclinic crystals measuring up to about 2.7 cm, aesthetically sitting on matrix. The main crystals in the center of the specimen are actually twinned, making the piece even more desirable. I decided to backlight the piece in case the crystals passed light, but what I ended up seeing is that there are some dark red RUTILE crystals on the specimen, which actually show a bit of translucency. The Rutiles look black (grey-black) without the backlighting, but you can clearly see that deep red color come out when the light passes through. A really impressive piece, impossible to find in today's market, you'll only find them in large, deep, comprehensive collections like this.
Valued $5,000 for size, quality and sheer rarity on the market.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#225 AP), 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 for the foreseeable future through our various platforms.