Fluorite

Item Description

A big sculptural group of Fluorite crystals on matrix from the famous Wölsenberg area in Bavaria. These are some of the most well-known German Fluorites, which features various colors, and often good sized display specimens. This piece hosts a stacked group of sharp, well-formed cubes of Fluorite measuring up to 3.2 cm on edge, which show a soft golden-yellow hue in the center when backlit, along with slight purple color zoning on the edges. The Fluorites are sitting atop an almost "cast"-like matrix, that feels like another species had dissolved away at some point. The exterior of the matrix hosts dozens of tiny brick red Quartz crystals, which get their color from iron oxide inclusions. Overall the piece is in good shape, though one of the main Fluorites has a contacted corner, so the piece is not pristine. It's still an impressive and eye-catching example of these wonderful old Fluorites from an area where mining started taking place back in the 1400s! I would put a value on this one in the $2,000 range. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#604 D), a well-known German collector all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started collecting seriously at the age of 14 and his great and varied worldwide collection reached over 6000 pieces. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms.