Epidote (impersonating Austria!)

Item Description

Epidote is known from any localities around the world, and most famously from the renowned Knappenwand locality in the Austrian Alps. The crystals from this locale are not only superb in quality, but they are some of the most exemplary crystals from the standpoint of form and morphology. At first glance, I was certain this piece had to be from the Knappenwand, due to it's amazingly "wet" luster, broad smooth crystal faces and deep greenish-black color. It turns out that it's actually from Zard Mountain in Pakistan, and it's one of the best quality crystals I've ever seen from the area. This is not terribly surprising, as many of the "Alpine"-Type localities in Pakistan have produced similar minerals to their true European Alpine counterparts, but I'm always impressed when I see a piece as fine as this from an unlikely locality. As mentioned, the robust prism faces are incredibly reflective and stunningly well-formed, as they lead up to the attractive "chisel"-shaped termination. The crystal is in great condition on the front side (though there is a surface fracture on one of the prism faces), but unfortunately it's not complete on the back. With that said, you could fool a lot of people when you ask them, "where is this Epidote from?", because I think most people would either answer Austria, Alaska, Kenya or somewhere else before they thought it was from Pakistan. A wonderful specimen for any fan of worldwide Epidotes or excellent crystallization.