Spodumene var. Hiddenite

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This is a rarity and a vivid burst of color in a gem species you do not normally see for sale at this level of play: A truly outstanding miniature crystal of electric green Hiddenite, a Spodumene varietal with a rich green color caused specifically by a trace amount of chromium. Green Spodumene from other localities rarely approaches this color saturation. The Adams Farm is arguably the best, and one of few, legitimate Hiddenite localities and good miniatures like this are rarely for sale. It is truly an amazing American specimen but more importantly it is a significant example of a rare gem species varietal in unusually good quality; and has a significance beyond its origins in the wider lore of gem crystals. These specimens were cherry-picked from an amazing find of such crystals in the 1990s, the best such find in modern times. Terry Ledford, who collected the pocket, sold three of them to Dr. Ed David (I recall seeing them in Ed's home in the late 1990s). I got them when I bought Ed's collection in 2005 (the largest mineral cash deal of the era, at the time!), and sold them to Jack Halpern as a set, keeping them together (this is the largest of the three). This one is doubly-terminated and has the best overall green color that I have seen for its size class, and it has great provenance from, literally, two legendary collectors and role models to me and probably hundreds of others as a collector, who i am privileged to call friends. This is directly from Terry Ledford (sadly, deceased due to an accident in this very mine), and the Ed David and Jack Halpern collections. This brings back memories, to write this...Three amazing gentlemen, like no others. This therefore has history to add to the stunning color, and importance for the size. I know it may not look "stunning" in a photo, but trust me, when you see the color for the first time in person, your reaction is going to be "Ohhhh, now i get it!." I never understood myself, until I saw the good ones. And those, they all came through Terry. This is from the type locality, where it was first discovered. In checking that fact, I stumbled on this interesting information on MINDAT (https://www.mindat.org/min-7740.html): "The mineral variety hiddenite was originally described from Alexander Co., North Carolina, USA. The area where hiddenite was found was governed by county government and was then known as an informal settlement called "White Plains". The town name "Hiddenite" was not granted a charter until 1913, thirty years after the naming of the mineral variety hiddenite."