Hedenbergite (old classic locale)

Item Description

Hedenbergite from this old 1800s-era location in Sweden was considered one of the most fabulous crystallized treasures of early mineralogy, and studied extensively in old European labs for crystallography, and to understand how "rocks" were formed form minerals such as this. Large crystals were always rare, and valued. Historically, it is perhaps the most important location for the species for crystallized examples, as they have such sharp form and high luster (unusual for a rock forming species). This particular specimen is from the Joe Nagel collection. Joe mentored most of the current crop of collectors in Vancouver and western Canada, and was a well known collector. Part of his collection ended up with the nascent Pacific Mineral Museum, which never really got off the ground in the early 2000s. When the collection was sold off, Rob Woodside obtained this specimen. It has been with him, since (Joe's original label does not survive, but we have this xerox from museum records). It is a cabinet sized, attractive example of something we almost never see for sale, and as such is very difficult to value.