Epidote ("Faden") with Apatite (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

It has become increasingly more difficult to obtain top specimens from this locality, especially such fine quality specimens like this one. 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 in recent years. 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 features a superb, sharp, lustrous, rich greenish-golden color, gem/gemmy, prismatic, "sword"-shaped crystal sitting on a "Faden" growth of smaller Epidote crystals, but the most important aspect of the piece is that it features dozens of small, jewel-like, sparkling, colorless, tabular hexagonal crystals of Fluorapatite! It's a very good quality specimen that displays well, 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 (the namesake for the species Kosnarite). Valued at $1,950 retail.