Epidote (gemmy ''Faden'' crystal group)

Item Description

Pakistan might be best-known for its pegmatite deposits, which produce beautiful gem crystals, but going back to the 1990s, there were a good number of superb quality Epidote specimens coming out of the "Alpine-type" deposits in the high Pakistani mountains around Shigar. These specimen are truly beautiful and superb quality, and rivaled the finest crystals from the world-famous Alpine localities in Austria (Knappenwand), where the finest examples of the species have been found. What really set the Pakistani specimens apart was not just the size, luster and sharpness, but they were rather gemmy(!) even in thicker crystals, which is not commonly seen from European examples. In recent years, we've noticed that it has become increasingly difficult to find top Epidotes from this locality, as my friends in Pakistan tell me that little is being found. This gorgeous small cabinet specimen hosts superb, sharp, highly lustrous, gemmy, tabular crystals with good pleochroism shifting from vivid green hues to a golden-yellow shade when the piece is rotated in the light (with strong backlighting). The piece is actually a "Faden" group, which is a fairly well-known phenomenon for the species. "Faden" is the German word for "string" and you can clearly the dark "Faden" line that runs the length of th piece. Please note that each end of the piece is contaced, so it's not completely pristine, but the quality of the undamaged portion of the piece is excellent. You just don't see pieces like this on the market now, and if you consider that most Epidote crystals around the world are "black" and opaque, this piece is in the higher echelon in terms of quality for the species.
This piece is from the collection of the well-known mineral dealer Richard Kosnar (1946-2007) from Colorado, who was a serious collector of Alpine and "Alpine-Type" minerals from around the world. He was especially fond of Epidote from the European Alpine clefts and the nearly identical deposits in Pakistan.