Epidote (circa 1800s) ex Herb Obodda

Item Description

Austrian Epidotes STILL set the standard for the species, to the minds of most established collectors. This specimen from the Austrian Alps is a dramatic, elegant old classic with more impact than most, and has great balance as a display specimen! Four epidote crystals, to 5.5 cm in length, exhibit fine parallel growth. The crystals are highly lustrous but so thick that they only transmit the occasional highlight of pistachio green and dark green in their skin. The specimen is accompanied by an old John Albanese label and an even older label in German. Displayable from both sides, though there is one side pristine while on the backside, on very close inspection, the second-largest crystal has a bruise on a crystal edge - but otherwise, the specimen is pristine and complete all around. An affordable, display-worthy, fine old classic, the likes of which we seldom see for sale today. The natural glassy luster on this is remarkable, near the top of its game. In Europe, we have seen these priced at many many multiples of what people pay for them in the USA, creating a cross-ocean epidote exchange at many Munich shows. An old specimen that came to us in the old collection of Herb Obodda, many years ago, but only recently cleaned and prepared.