Uvarovite (Type Locality) on Chromite (Hefendehl Coll.)

Item Description

Scintillating gemmy rich emerald-green Uvarovite Garnet crystals are festooned on this hefty sculptural small cabinet Chromite ore matrix on this very rich blocky specimen from the Type Locality in Russia - the Saranovskii Mine in the Urals. Uvarovite is the uncommon calcium chromium Garnet Group endmember. There are two generations of crystals on the piece, the largest being 3 mm. Specimens of this quality haven't been available since the early 1990s, except for pieces from recycled collections. The chromite matrix, an ore they mined, is really interesting in itself. Ex Hefendehl Collection. Kurt Hefendehl was a most well-known collector in the mineral world all over Europe with worldwide contacts to dealers and collectors. He started seriously collecting in the age of 14 and his great and various worldwide collection reached a number of over 6000 pieces. He was incredibly mineralogically active, until shortly before his passing in 2020 in the age of 82 years. His collection had, considering that high number of pieces, an unusual high quality standard from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics; and the minerals of the Black Forest where he spent many visits collecting (that and the Germany subcollection went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. The Italian suite went to Marini). We have the rest to offer over the next 2-3 years, through our platforms. We have lost a great friend and connoisseur, a true mineral collector of the Golden Age. A fine, rich, really gorgeous piece, valued at $600-750 today, as specimens of this quality are rare.