Spodumene var: Kunzite (doubly-terminated) with Quartz (doubly-terminated)

Item Description

What a wonderful and showy display specimen from this classic locality in Afghanistan. Some of the finest examples of Kunzite (the pink variety of Spodumene) have been found in Afghanistan in the last 30 years or so. Most of the pieces you'll see are loose single crystals, and less commonly you'll find Kunzites with associated minerals. This piece features a lovely, 7.1 cm, thin, prismatic, soft pink colored Kunzite crystal, but it has the added bonus of a few attached Quartz crystals on one end to create a dramatic and aesthetic specimen. There are two aspects of the piece that really make it special. First off, the piece is nearly a "floater", as both the Kunzite crystal and ALL of the Quartz crystals are doubly-terminated, so the piece is crystallized all over, with the exception of one tiny spot on the base, where presumably it detached from the pocket wall. The second aspect of the piece is the arrangement, as one rarely seen Quartz crystals ON TOP of Kunzite like this. In fact it's rare to find Quartz on Kunzite period, but to have a group of sharp, well-formed, Quartz crystals - the largest measuring 3.6 cm - which are also doubly-terminated, is almost unheard of. Additionally, if you look closely, you can see one small, tabular Kunzite prism, attached to the side of one of the Quartz crystals for a nice touch. Overall it's an impactful specimen and it would make a stellar addition to any gem crystal collection, a suite of Afghani minerals, or a suite of pegmatite specimens. Valued at $4,000 retail. From the collection of Brian Kosnar.