Sodalite (var: Hackmanite) with Richterite (ex John Arnaud Collection)

Item Description

The now famous and hard to find Sodalite (var: Hackmanite) specimens from Afghanistan are the finest crystallized examples of the species in the world in terms of size, quality, sharpness, color and gemminess. The colors of the these Hackmanites ranges from blue to purple to pink and they show an amazing fluorescence under longwave UV light. This specimen features a lovely, well-formed, lustrous, sharp, purple color Hackmanite crystal measuring 3.0 cm across, which is very good sized for the material. It is associated with several sharp, lustrous, prismatic, well-formed, soft yellow Richterite (originally though to be Winchite) crystals measuring up to 3.2 cm long flaring off the underlying white marble matrix. Both the Hackmanite and the main Richterite crystals are in good condition, but they have some slight incomplete growth, and some of the smaller accessory Richterites are contacted around the periphery. We have photographed the specimen uder UV light, and the Hackmanite and the Richterite show a whitish yellow hue. Under LW UV light, the Hackmanite crystal is a brilliant orange color. The piece is also tenebrescent as the Hackmanite crystal will actually turn a darker royal purple color after being exposed to UV light and will eventually return to its original lighter purple hue after a few hours. This process of "changing" the color of the crystal is 100% repeatable, and in no way permanently affects the specimen. A colorful and attractive overall specimen of this material which has not appeared on the market for a few years now in any significance. Don't miss out on this one as the area that produced these pieces might be completely exhausted since very few new specimens have found their way to market recently. From the collection of John Arnaud, formerly of Westcliffe, Colorado. Priced in the inventory at $1,500.