Epidote (''Faden'')

Item Description

Epidote is one of the most well-known and I would say signature species of the famous European Alpine cleft deposits. Going back into the early 1990s, we started seeing some of the finest Epidote specimens in the world coming out of "Alpine-type" cleft deposits in Pakistan. These amazingly fine examples are seemingly identical to their classic Alpine cousins, and in certain instances, have surpassed the European specimens for quality and gemminess. In recent years, we've seen a dramatic drop in the amount of fine quality Epidote "Fadens" like this coming out of Pakistan, and very little is on the market now. This piece was mined in the late 1990s and is a highly aesthetic, superb quality, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, prismatic, "Faden" group of Epidote crystals free of matrix. When backlit, you can clearly see the thin "string" ("Faden" means string in German), running all the way from one end of the piece to the other. When the piece is rotated in the light, you can see a bit of pleochroism where it changes from a golden hue to more of a greenish tone. The piece is in superb condition, with no major damage that I can find, and it's almost a complete "floater", save a small point of attachment on the base. A truly impressive and high quality example of these world-class Epidote "Fadens". This material is highly prized by collectors for its exceptional form, as it resembles the classic Alpine Epidote specimens that sell for top dollar around the world. These pieces are highly coveted by Alpine collectors, and good pieces are next to impossible to obtain from the classic European localities. Valued $2,500.
From the collection of Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known dealer and mineral collector from Colorado, and the namesake for the rare zirconium phosphate species, Kosnarite. Rich loved Alpine and "Alpine-type" minerals, and built a large collection of specimens from around the world.