Fluorapatite (rare locality)

Item Description

Here we have a rarely seen example of the attractive Fluorapatites from Puiva that came to the market in the mid 1990s and quickly disappeared. This is an "Alpine-type" locality, featuring many minerals and associations seen in the European Alps. For those who are familiar with European Alpine material, good Apatites are highly desirable and rarely seen from most localities. This piece features a group of gemmy, nearly colorless (very pale lilac in some spots) hexagonal bladed crystals of Fluorapatite featuring "rings" of "Chlorite" along the thin prism faces on the exterior. The Apatites have excellent GLASSY faces on the pinacoids. Very minor damage, and the piece is nearly crystallized all the way around, and BETTER in person. The largest crystal measures 2.2 cm across.
From the collection of Richard (Rich) Kosnar (1946-2007), the well-known mineral dealer and collector from Colorado. Rich loved Alpine and "Alpine-type" minerals, and obtained this piece from the collection of one of the most well-known Russian collectors of the 20th century, Vladimir Pelepenko.