QTZ15
Quartz var Tessin habit
Rist Mine, Hiddenite, Alexander Co, North Carolina, USA
Cabinet, 11.0 x 4.3 x 2.3 cm
Ex. Rick Hottel; Terry Ledford
SOLD

Tessin quartz, showing this classic sharp tapering habit, is familiar mostly from finds in the high Swiss alps. I am told that the formation of Tessin type crystals is rather rare in nature, and due to specific conditions in the pocket as the crystals form. Certainly, the best I have seen in my life have all come from Switzerland. This, however, was an anomaly. I obtained this directly from the miner, Terry Ledford in the early 2000's and sold it at that time. Terry built what must surely be the most important and broad collection of Rist Mine specimens ever put together, as he owned and operated the mine for decades (Terry is, tragically, now deceased at a young age as a result of an accident during field collecting in his own mine).