Calcite (excellent twins with Marcasite inclusions)

Item Description

This is an excellent big showy cabinet sized specimen from the Chenzhou Prefecture of Hunan, China featuring several superb quality, sharp, well-formed, translucent, soft straw colored twinned crystals of rhombic Calcite measuring up to 4.3 cm across, sitting on matrix. I love the dramatic penetration twin on the right side of the piece, as the crystals are so well-defined and still pushing through one another at such a notable angle. Additionally, you can see there is a thin layer of Marcasite sitting below the surface of the Calcites (it's actually exposed in some spots on the lower portions of the crystals), creating a beautiful effect. No major damage that I can find, and the piece displays quite well as you can see. I put a value on this one in the $2,500-$3,000 retail. From the collection of Kurt Hefendehl (#440 C), 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. He was very active mineralogically until shortly before his passing in 2020 at the age of 82. Considering his collection had a large number of pieces, it still had an unusually high standard of quality from most worldwide localities. He particularly specialized in all classics as well as minerals of the Black Forest, where he spent much time collecting. His Black Forest and German subcollections went to his good friend Wolfgang Wendel. We at The Arkenstone have the privilege of offering the remainder of this great worldwide collection over the next two to three years through our various platforms.