Epidote (Multi-terminated ''Faden'' group) (ex Richard Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Going back to the mid to late 1990s, we saw many good quality specimens of this material on the market, but it has become increasingly rare to find excellent specimens such as this from Tormiq. The Pakistani specimens are seemingly identical to their classic European Alpine counterparts, and an argument can be made that in certain instances, the European specimens have been surpassed with regard to overall quality and gemminess. This small cabinet specimen is a highly aesthetic, very showy, multi-terminated, sharp, highly lustrous "Faden" crystal group featuring excellent, olive oil green colored "sword"-shaped crystals free of matrix. As you can see, some of the crystals are WATER-CLEAR and all of them are at least somewhat gemmy. "Faden" is the German word for "string" and you can clearly see how the piece grew along the fibrous "strings" that run the length along the base of the specimen. The piece is nearly 100% damage free, and looks fantastic from either side. It's nearly a complete "floater", but there is a tiny point of attachment on the back. The pleochroism is very slight on this one due to the thin nature of the crystals. 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 upper tier in terms of quality for the species. An excellent piece of this now classic material. Priced in the inventory at $1,800. From the collection of Richard Kosnar (1946-2007), well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado, and the namesake for the phosphate species, Kosnarite.