Siderite with Pyrite and Quartz (classic locality)

Item Description

The small, yet well-known Mésage Mine in the Isère region of the Rhône-Alpes of France dates back to the 1800s, but still produces specimens today. It's best known for its beautiful Siderites which are found in various colors and styles. This piece is from an iconic discovery that yielded these striking specimens featuring tabular / compressed rhombic crystals measuring up to about 2.2 cm, which have alternating hues showing a light greenish-brown underneath, and a darker reddish-brown coating on the surface. The Siderites play host to beautiful modified pyritohedra of metallic golden Pyrite along with a few GEM quality colorless Quartz prisms. No major damage, outside of the perimeter of the piece where it was separated from the pocket wall. These are not terribly common on the market, so if you collect carbonates or minerals from France, this is a very nice one to add to your collection.
From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#48 F), 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.