Zircon on Albite (both fluorescent)

Item Description

A fine cluster of textbook Zircon crystals, set in Albite, from Vavnbed Mountain in Russia. The two largest of these pseudo-octahedral crystals are about 2.4 cm tip-to-tip, and they exhibit the good luster and rich, cinnamon-brown color that these Zircons are known for. There is some contacting on these crystals, but this is pegmatite/granitic mining after all, so it is a huge surprise that the cluster survived so well-intact to begin with. The eye-popping fluorescence, with the bright yellow of the Spinel sitting like a beacon on the brilliant hot-pink of the Albite, really makes for an amazing combination. This well-known pegmatite locality, also commonly referred to as 'Lovozero Massif, Kola Peninsula', is considered one of the best Zircon localities in Russia. The inherent crystal characteristics, as well as the fact that this miniature is home to such a nice cluster, shows exactly why these specimens are sought-after. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl, 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. Kurt bought heaviy from Russian and other foregin dealers in the early years after exports opened in the 1990s.