Microcline (large Baveno twin)

Item Description

A notably impressive specimen for any Feldspar collector. This piece dates back to a discovery near the end of 2005 at Raikot (Raikoot) in Pakistan. Typically you don't see a lot of fine crystallized Feldspars from any Pakistani locality, but this isn't just a big crystal, it's a fine quality, large, prismatic, sharp, lustrous, porcelain-esque "Baveno" twinned crystal of Microcline. There's even a secondary accent crystal running down one of the prism faces, giving the piece a geometrical touch. "Baveno" twins are found in Feldspars around the world, but are quite scarce in such large and impressive crystals with such excellent form like this one. The twinning occurs when crystals are elongated along the b axis, and the diagonal twinning plane runs through opposite edges of the prismatic crystal. The name of this twin comes from the locality in Italy where this twin was first observed. These twins are incredibly hard to obtain from Pakistan, and this is one of the biggest and finest examples we've ever had to offer. Simply put, this is a fantastic twin with excellent form, and looks like a beautiful piece of marble. Valued at $3,500 for the size and quality. Ex Brian Kosnar dealer stock.