Epidote / Clinozoisite (excellent thick crystal) (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Hashupa is a well-known "Alpine"-type locality in the high mountains of Pakistan that has produced some beautiful crystals of Epidote and Clinozoisite that are quite similar to those from the European Alps. This piece is on the borderline between Epidote and Clinozoisite (the species form a chemical series with one another), and it's impossible to tell visually, so the piece would require XRD analysis. With that said, the vast majority of crystals from this locality are thin slender prisms, but THIS piece is a large, robust, stout crystal and it's GEMMY to boot! Typically when a crystal of either Epidote or Clinozoisite reaches this size, they're nearly always opaque, but this monster transparent when backlit, showing a deep golden to "root beet" color. The crystal itself is very sharp, highly lustrous and notably well-formed with a beautiful "sword"-shaped termination and elegant striations running the length of the prism. Overall, the piece is in excellent condition, on the display side, but it does have a contacted face on the back, where it was probably damaged underground during tectonic activity. You can't see the damage from the front, but it's important to note that the piece is not pristine. An impressive Epidote / Clinozoisite not just for the fact that it's incredibly well-formed, luster and gemmy, but for the simple fact that crystals rarely are found over 10 cm long(!) like this. The piece weighs an impressive 122.10 grams, much larger than most you'll find from Hashupa, Alchuri or Tormiq. From the "Alpine"-type collection of Rich Kosnar, the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado. Kosnar was a fan of worldwide Alpine and "Alpine"-type minerals, and built a wonderful suite of Epidote and Clinozoisite crystals from Pakistan in his life. I put a value of $3,000-$3,500 on this one.