Quartz (ex Paul Zerfass Collection)

Item Description

Please note that the locality "Corinto" is somewhat of a misnomer as there is no actual mining that takes place there, but it's a hub for the miners to bring their specimens for sale. There are some localities nearby where crystals are found, but since this piece came labeled as Corinto, Minas Gerais, Brazil, we're going to leave it that way as we don't know specifically where it was mined. This specimen also came labeled as "Hyalin" (Hyalin) which is a term typically used in anatomy that means having a glassy, translucent appearance. I can't remember seeing this term used on any French labels before, but it certainly fits the description of this specimen. This piece features a predominant, superb quality, razor sharp, colorless, prismatic hexagonal crystal measuring 10.2 cm, flaring out of matrix composed of smaller Quartz crystals of equal quality. I can't find any damage to the main Quartz crystal, but there are some imperfections on the smaller crystals. The luster on the crystals is highly reflective, very impressive in person. Excellent quality and very eye-catching. Valued at $2,000-$2,500 retail. From the collection of the long time, beloved, well-known French field collector, Paul Zerfass (Collection #364). Zerfass built this worldwide collection over nearly 50 years, many of which were personally collected. A biography featuring specimens from his collection (along with his face on the cover) is in the May - June 2017 issue of French mineral magazine, Le Règne Minéral. We have a .pdf copy of the article for anybody interested in reading it (though it's mostly in French). Just drop us a line and know that you'd like to have a copy.