Pyrite/Marcasite (RARE locality specimen) (ex Kurt Hefendehl Collection)

Item Description

Here we have an incredibly hard to find specimen of what is labeled Pyrite, but it very well could be Marcasite from the little-known Madneuli Mine in Georgia. The specimen was collected after the Soviet Union broke apart, as Kurt's catalogue entry lists it as coming from Georgia specifically. This is the first specimen of any kind that we've ever had to offer from this locality. The piece is comprised of sharp, lustrous, darker golden metallic crystals which radiate from a central point, creating a "star"-like formation. The piece is nearly a complete "floater", crystallized on all sides with no major damage, but with a tiny point of contact on the bottom where it was presumably attached to the pocket wall. A really cool specimen from an obscure locality that would make a great addition to any collection, especially a sulfide suite or minerals from the former Soviet Union. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl, 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.