J11-45
Spodumene Var. Kunzite With Cleavelandite
Pech, Kunar Province, Afghanistan
Large Cabinet, 17.0 x 6.5 x 5.5 cm
Ex. Marc Weill
SOLD

This is a well-balanced, very sharp kunzite crystal that measures 6.5 inches tall and 2 inches wide. It is 1.25 cm, or half an inch, thick. The crystal is totally PRISTINE without a nick on it. The pedestal of cleavelandite in which it sits, stark and upright, is bright sparkly white, and extremely showy in person. The Crystal has razor sharp edges and a superb termination, unusual in quality for a piece of this size in that larger terminations are typically etched out a bit. At about the midpoint, there is a small natural fracture in the crystal on its left edge, but the result is actually more interesting than detracting as the small split during growth was held together by surrounding cleavelandite, and there are some interesting rehealing/regrowth effects in the slight gap that is preserved. You can often get big kunzites from Afghanistan on the market. Usually, though, they do not have good matrix in association. To get a matrix-bound crystal with such poise and balance, with both associated minerals contributing to the overall aesthetic instead of just "host rock" as matrix, is really the top aim of the collector; and this piece stands out to me as a superb specimen for those reasons. Ex Marc Weill collection. Joe Budd photos