Austrian Alps: Minerals from alpine clefts and ore deposits
Greenschist included Quartz - sold
Diepalgraben, Zederhaustal, Lungau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 100 x 80 x 40 mm
Floater piece of doubly-terminated rock crystals with dense greenschist inclusions to the prism faces. There are three crystal generations, the largest 1st generation crystal measuring 85 mm. From a well-documented find of the local collector Reinhold Bacher (Tamsweg) in 2003 (cf. Lapis, Nr. 5, 2011).
19-007 - Fluorite with Calcite - 650 €
Weißeck ice cleft, Riedingtal, Lungau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 83 x 49 x 27 mm
Floater piece of lustrous fluorite cubes with intense purple core and colorless outer sections. The piece stems from the so-called "Eiskluft" (ice cleft) found by R. Bacher and W. Petzelberger in 2007 at the north slope close to the summit of Weißeck mountain. The cleft has been worked until 2016 and provided a great variety of different fluorites in terms of color and habit. The fluorites according to the type of piece at hand were found in 2010 in the first section of the cleft.
20-018 - Hematite, Calcite, Albite - 450 €
Nussingkogel, Tauerntal, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 100 x 60 x 55 mm
Lustrous hematite blades up to 10 mm on a bed of calcite and albite. The piece stems from a well-known find of Georg Mühlburger in the early 1970's at the north slope of Nussingkogel mountain. The piece was in the collection of Dr. Heinz Weninger (Montanuniversität Leoben) and is depicted in his monograph "Die alpinen Kluftmineralien der österreichischen Ostalpen", Sonderschrift DER AUFSCHLUSS, 1974. Comes with the original Weninger collection label.
21-008 - Titanite - 950 €
Kristallwand, Frosnitz, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 120 x 110 mm
Rich plate covered with numerous titanite crystals surrounding a doubly-terminated main twin of 15 mm length.
21-007 - Titanite - 950 €
Kristallwand, Frosnitz, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 135 x 55 mm
Numerous isolated titanite twin crystals of up to 10 mm length. The backside of the gneiss matrix is trimmed.
16-070 - Calcite & Rock Crystal - 220 €
Auernig, Mallnitz, Kärnten, Austria
Size: 200 x 115 x 60 mm
Calcites and rock crystals with amphibolite and chlorite inclusions on amphibolite matrix, a typical specimen for Auernig mountain.
18-021 - Scheelite - 300 €
Gjaidtroghöhe, Großes Fleißtal, Kärnten, Austria
Size: 55 x 35 x 30 mm
Scheelite of intense orange color from a unique find at the north face of Gjaidtroghöhe mountain in 2013. The find contained a number of crystal fragments (4 kg in total), which probably once formed one huge scheelite crystal. The piece on-hand shows great luster and distinct crystallization on the display side. The piece has one repair.
18-012 - Fluorite - 250 €
Steinbruch (quarry) Mauterndorf, Twenger Au, Taurachertal, Lungau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 53 x 43 x 41 mm
Rather rare material from a limited find in 2015, when an isolated fluorite vein was found in the gravel quarry of Mauterndorf. While there came a bunch of heavily etched fluorites on the market, the specimen on hand is one of the very few pieces with well preserved cubical faces and distinct color zoning. The fluorite shows green-turquoise to slight purple colors when lit with daylight or a 6500K-LED, and pink-reddish color tones under yellow illumination with a classic light bulb. Seldom opportunity to get a significant specimen of this find, no more material is expected to follow since the fluorite vein has been excavated in the meantime.
16-066 - Quartz - 80 €
Hocharn-Schwarzkopf, Hüttwinkl Tal, Rauris, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 16 x 8 x 8 cm
Group of rock crystals, crystallized on all sides and partially developed doubly terminated. The bottom side carries some limonite and pericline. Found by the Rauris collector Herbert Grabmayer.
Epidote, Byssolite, Albite - sold
Knappenwand, Untersulzbachtal, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 71 x 41 x 27 mm
V-shaped group of lustrous epidote crystals with byssolite and albite. The epidotes are translucent and exhibit distinct pleochroism with various color shades of green and brown (see video). All terminal faces well developed and intact. The specimen has one professional repair to the base of the side crystal protruding from the byssolite towards the back (basically invisible).
The specimen was found by the team of the Natural History Museum in Vienna working at the Knappenwand in the years 1977-1992. An original NHM label comes with the specimen declaring the detailed find was cleft no. 25. A picture of this particular cleft is shown in the Min. Rec. article about the Knappenwand (Mineralogical Record, vol. 17 (1986), pp 167-181).
Cluster of doubly terminated fenster quartz crystals. The surfaces are highly lustrous and exhibit countless step-growth features and some rehealed sections. A prismatic rock crystal of first growth generation is buried at the bottom. Minor pyrite crystals are scattered over the piece. Found by Johann Pleikner sen. many years ago.
Smoky Quartz - sold
Trömmernscharte, Alteck, Gr. Zirknitztal, Carinthia, Austria
Size: 23.5 x 7 x 6.5 cm
Large smoky quartz with good luster and clarity. One rhombohedral face is polished. Found by Werner Hoffmann and Thomas Wabnig (Napplach) in 2000 - a picture of the finders in the cleft is published in extraLapis 38 "Kärnten". A similar smoky quartz single crystal from the find is on public display in the noted collection of Sepp Kirchler (Mineralienmuseum Kirchler, Ahrntal). Ex Oliver Konczer collection.
Highly translucent epidote crystals emanating from a growth faden. Ex Volker Betz.
Titanite - sold
Kristallwand, Frosnitztal, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 4.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm
Titanite crystals of intense cognac-orange color on paragneiss matrix. The exposed main crystal measures 14 mm.
Skeletonized Rock Crystal - sold
Wildenkogel, Venediger, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 7 × 3.2 × 3 cm
Skeletonized rock crystal with good luster and clarity. Some abrasion near the tip, though not very eye-catching. Found by the Austrian collector Obkircher Gottlieb.
Fluorite & Rock Crystal - sold
Bockriegel, Romatespitze, Tauerntal, Mallnitz, Carinthia, Austria
Size: 4.5 x 3.2 x 1.8 cm
Floater piece from a renowned alpine fluorite cleft worked by Rudolf Hasler in 1998 and 2013 (cf. Lapis 03/2014). Nicely balanced specimen in paragenesis with clear and lustrous rock crystals. The fluorite octahedra measure up to 11 mm on edge. The second fluorite generation grown in rhombic dodecahedral habit with ink-blue color accents is the unique feature of this particular find. The specimen is in excellent condition, free of significant damage.
Massive rock crystal from a famous find in the dangerous north face of Eiskögele mountain, made by the Hofer brothers in summer 2003 (cf. the video documentary available on DVD from the finder). Despite a good number of huge crystals in this find, only very few were recovered without damaged crystal tips - the specimen on hand has a crack at the bottom (no repair though), but comes with a pristine tip. A typical feature of the crystals from this find is one dominant, elongated rhombohedral face, which is displayed distinctly by the present specimen. The prism faces show highly lustrous sections alternating with interesting etching pattern. The backside carries some siderite crust with minor calcite and few speckles of ingrown chlorite. Decent specimen from a spectacular alpine crystal find.
Fluorite & Quartz - sold
Stampflkees, Zamser Grund, Zillertal, Tirol, Austria
Size: 10.8 x 7.2 x 5.1 cm
Purple fluorite octahedra partially encrusted with a yellowish quartz layer. The specimen stems from a famous find in the 1980's from the slopes below the Stampflkees. While most of the fluorites from this find were green, the purple color of the specimen on hand is rather rare and very much sought-after among collectors.
Rock Crystal Scepter - sold
Forsterbachtal, Wörth, Rauris, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 9.5 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm
Lustrous, multifacetted quartz scepter developed as a floater specimen. The ingrown doubly terminated crystal measures 35 mm.
Adularia & Pericline - sold
Hoher Happ, Maurertal, Virgental, Osttirol, Austria
Size: 12.5 x 11 x 9.5 cm
Glossy adularia crystals on snow-white pericline. Some adularia crystals show signs of cleavage. Specimen from one of the best feldspar clefts of the Austrian Alps.
Fluorite with Calcite - sold
Weißeck ice cleft, Riedingtal, Lungau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 11 x 8.5 x 5.5 cm
Group of parqueted fluorite cubes accompanied by two intergrown calcite scalenohedra. Unlike many specimen from the famous summit cleft, some fluorites from the "Eiskluft" (ice cleft) in the north face exhibit very good luster. The present exemplar exhibits zonar colouring with deep purple bodies and colorless edges. The fluorites measure up to 2 cm, the calcites up to 3 cm. No significant damage, the backside was on the rock.
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