Marcasite (classic material - "floater" specimen) (ex Richard A. Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

A superb, three-dimensional group of this classic material from Vintirov. Typically, it's not easy to obtain well-crystallized Marcasite specimens like this from any locality, but the lesser known pieces from Vintirov are some of the most impressive European Marcasites around. A lot of people tend to be uneasy with Marcasite because some specimens can crumble over time, but it's a little-known fact that these are some of the most stable Marcasite specimens in the world, meaning that the don't fall apart like Marcasite from other world localities. This particular specimen has been out of the ground for a long time (possibly over 100 years), and it as firm and stable as the day it was found. This gorgeous and showy specimen features a fully crystallized group of soft metallic golden to soft brassy color, very sharp, highly lustrous, Marcasite crystal plates forming multiple "cockscomb"-shaped groups on every side. The piece is a complete "floater" with no notable point of attachment and looks fantastic from multiple angles. This is really an excellent Marcasite specimen from this famous locale from the worldwide mineral collection of Richard A. Kosnar, famed mineral dealer and the namesake for the phosphate species, Kosnarite. Valued at $1,800.