Epidote (fine twin) with Quartz (ex Belsky Collection)

Item Description

The famous Epidotes from the Green Monster Mountain locality in Alaska are certainly the finest examples of the species from any locality in the United States. They are not only fine quality crystals, but they are often very good sized with fine luster and crystal form. This attractive miniature is a thick / stout, very well-formed, highly lustrous, deep green colored (virtually black in areas) prismatic crystal that is complete on all sides and features a 2.0 cm lone prism of Quartz included with blue-grey colored needles of Actinolite aesthetically flaring off the side. The most significant aspect of the specimen is that it is actually twinned, and shows a very distinct contact plane along the termination that is wonderfully highlighted by the distinct striations that shimmer in the light due to their high luster. I cannot find any major damage anywhere, though it is contacted on the bottom. A very impressive and excellent quality display specimen of these famous old Epidotes. It should be noted that this locality is notoriously difficult to access, a friend of ours actually travels there via helicopter, and it's only accessible for a few months in the summer, so the collecting season is rather short. Ex Howard Belsky Collection. Valued at $3,000 retail.