Quartz and Hematite pseudomorph after Epidote (classic material)

Item Description

Here we have a very cool example of these classic, quite possibly unique pseudomorphs from the Green Mountain/Bessemer Ridge area, featuring Hematite which have replaced preexisting crystals of Epidote and then later coated by gemmy white Quartz. If you look closely at the bottom of the specimen, you can see the muted reddish colored Hematite underneath the Quartz. The original monoclinic prismatic form of the Epidote crystals is still beautifully preserved. These are the kind of specimens that you can't get on the market anymore, you can only find them in old collections like this. For reference, the entry on mindat for this locality states that the, pseudomorph are found on the Bessemer Ridge side of the skarn where they formed.
From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".