Quartz Var. Herkimer Diamond on Calcite

Unknown Owner

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Ed David had a huge suite of several dozen very fine Herkimer quartze specimens in his collection, assembled over 30 years of collecting. This was, to me, his prize Herkimer quartz specimen. I sold it when I bought his collection in 2005, and exchanged it back at the show, much to my surprise, after it had gone around the block from a collector to a dealer. It is a phenomenally gemmy crystal group on matrix, with calcite, acquired in 1998 from miner Nancy Koskie. The calcite association is highly unusual and takes the piece to a new level. The number of good Herk's I have seen on matrix other than gray rock, I can count on one hand. One should assume that any Herk cluster is repaired, this and others...usually they come apart in the pocket and lock-fit together with a careful repair. Not only is there an association, but the quartzes are of highest quality in terms of clarity, brightness, and form. The cluster is attractively perched on the matrix...if any of these were "off" the piece would be less noteworthy but as it stands, it is, to me, superlative. It is one of the finest Herkimer Quartz specimens I think a collector can possibly obtain, for overall quality - and not the most expensive, either. It is so much better in person, so much more full of life, I won't even try to convey it with the usual 3-5 photos. It is just something that needs be seen in person.