Epidote (''Faden'') (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Epidote is one of the most well known of all the Alpine cleft species in the world, and some of the finest Epidote specimens in the world have been coming out of Pakistan going back 20 years or so. In recent years, we've seen a dramatic drop in the amount of fine quality Epidote "Fadens" like this coming out of Pakistan. These specimens are seemingly identical to the classic Alpine specimens from Europe, and in certain instances, have surpassed the European specimens for quality and gemminess. This piece is a superb, sharp, lustrous, rich greenish-golden color, gem/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. There is a contacted spot on the end of the piece, so it's not 100% pristine, but it still displays well without showing the damage, and would fit nicely into any collection. 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. From the collection of Richard A. Kosnar (1946-2007), well-known dealer and mineral collector from Colorado, and the namesake for the species Kosnarite.