Descloizite (excellent crystallization)

Item Description

The famed Berg Aukus Mine was the source of what are inarguably the most extraordinary Descloizite specimens extant. These world-class pieces not only have set the standard of excellence for this zinc analogue of Mottramite, but they have largely disappeared from the market, especially in pieces of this size and quality. This piece is a gorgeous cabinet display specimen filled with excellent, sharp, lustrous, semi-metallic brown color crystals and gorgeous, rarely seen "herringbone"-style group, sitting on very minor matrix. A piece of this size with such excellent and dramatic crystallization is not only rare, but highly desirable among knowledgeable collectors. The piece is very aesthetic and virtually damage free as far as I can see with the naked eye. I can say with certainty that this is without a doubt one of the finest examples of this material that we've had to offer in the auctions, and if you have always wanted one of these impressive piece in a big showy cabinet sized specimen, don't miss out on this one. I would easily value this one in the $5,000 range for size, quality and sheer visceral impact. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#189 NA), 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.