Alpine Treasures 47
Mitteldorfer Graben, Virgen Valley, East Tyrol, Austria
Size: 6.8 x 5.5 x 5.1 cm
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When it comes to composition and aesthetics, one can only speak of perfection here!
The quartz specimen consists of beautifully arranged, transparent, and highly lustrous crystals, which are in top-notch condition all around.
The beauty really lies in the details here!
The combination of larger and smaller crystals, the three-dimensional arrangement, all of this looks like it's straight out of a textbook.
All crystals are undamaged, with only sporadic contacts visible.
The quartz sits on a thin piece of gray matrix, which is also nicely crystallized on the underside.
An absolutely fantastic specimen.
In the Mitteldorfer Graben, well-known large quartz crystals were found in the 1970s. However, when it comes to beautifully balanced cabinet size specimens, this might just be the finest!
Gamskar, Krumltal, Rauris, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 13.6 x 8.5 x 4.4 cm
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A truly beautiful pericline specimen accompanied by scattered quartz crystals, displaying outstanding overall quality and aesthetics. The piece is perfectly crystallized all around, including the reverse side and all outer edges, which are completely flawless. The pericline crystals are blocky and well-formed, showing a characteristic porcelain-like appearance combined with a bright, glossy surface luster. Between the pericline crystals, transparent quartz crystals are attractively distributed, adding depth and contrast to the composition. In addition, small calcite crystals occur throughout the piece, and here and there delicate rutile needles can be found, providing fine and subtle highlights for the attentive observer. An excellent specimen with classic Alpine aesthetics — refined, balanced, and highly displayable from every angle.
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This specimen is nicely attractive and historically important. This piece is from the historic find at Pfitsch in South Tyrol. Reportedly this dates back to somewhere around the year 1900 and was discovered at the southern foot of the Rotbachlspitze, a summit right at the border of Austria and Italy. It features a single 1.7 cm main crystal on a characteristic matrix, covered in small periclines and rutiles. The rutile has a damage at the backside but the whole front is flawless. It’s a lovely specimen in person, but most importantly it’s a rarity from this historic find!
Cavradi, Val Curnera, Tujetsch, Graubünden, Switzerland
Size: 6.5 x 4.2 x 2.8 cm
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A highly expressive specimen featuring black schorl dramatically positioned on transparent quartz from the Cavradi gorge. The schorl displays an exceptionally distinctive form, reminiscent of a breaking wave — or like half of an iron rose, if you prefer Alpine mineral comparisons — rising prominently above the clear quartz matrix. This sculptural growth gives the piece remarkable movement and presence. The tourmaline formation itself is composed of hundreds of microcrystals, which together create this striking, glittering structure with a lively surface texture. Upon closer inspection of the reverse side, fine hematite can also be found as is characteristic for the locale. An aesthetic and mineralogically intriguing piece, combining dynamic form, stark contrasting, and the classic associations of this famous alpine locality.
Knappenwand, Untersulzbachtal, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 8.4 x 2.1 x 1 cm
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This impressive single epidote measures 8.4 cm in length and forms a perfect doubly terminated specimen. The crystal shows complex growth with multiple well-defined terminal faces, giving it remarkable character and sculptural presence. The upper termination is partially overgrown with white Adularia, reminiscent of snow-capped alpine peaks — an especially aesthetic feature that is mainly visible from the reverse side, leaving the overall form of the crystal beautifully exposed. The specimen is in pristine condition, undamaged and unrepaired.
Kleines Fleißtal, Hohe Tauern, Carinthia, Austria
Size: 13 x 8 x 5 cm
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A fine smoky quartz from the Austrian Alps — attractive, characterful, and a wonderful addition to any alpine mineral collection. The individual crystals are beautifully transparent, displaying an unusually deep brown color combined with an excellent, lustrous surface. The overall condition is surprisingly good. Although one crystal is broken, the damage is only visible from the side and does not detract from the overall aesthetic presence of the piece.
Pizzo Centrale, Gross Satz, Unteralptal, Andermatt, Uri, Switzerland
Size: 9.5 x 6.2 x 6 cm
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A striking and highly uncommon specimen of rutile on quartz from Pizzo Centrale. Comparable pieces from this locality are exceedingly rare.
What makes this specimen truly special is the well-developed sagenite grid dramatically covering the front face of the white quartz crystal. The intergrown rutile needles form a dense, geometric network that reflects a fresh reddish-brown metallic luster, creating an eye-catching contrast against the light quartz background.
The quartz crystal is natural and lustrous on the front and along one side, showing attractive surface quality where the rutile is best displayed. The reverse side and the termination, however, are irregular, contacted and somewhat damaged.
Despite these imperfections, this is a remarkable and characterful piece. Sagenitic rutile grids of this intensity and coverage are exceptionally rare in Switzerland, making this specimen a noteworthy addition for collectors of Alpine minerals and rutile associations alike.
Grieswies, Rauris, Pinzgau, Salzburg, Austria
Size: 9 x 8.3 x 5.6 cm
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A highly attractive and aesthetic mineral specimen featuring a beautiful paragenesis of transparent, sharply terminated quartz crystals complemented by snow-white pericline, delicate silvery chlorite, and numerous small anatase crystals scattered gracefully across the piece. The quartz crystals are exceptionally clear and well-formed, with the longest crystal rising 3 cm, creating a striking visual focal point at the center of the specimen and giving the entire composition balance and presence. The contrast between the glassy quartz, bright white pericline, subtle metallic shimmer of chlorite, and the tiny accenting anatase crystals makes this piece particularly appealing to collectors. The whole piece is in excellent condition. An elegant and harmonious display specimen.
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The 8 mm rutile knee-twin crystal is exceptionally well formed, with sharp edges, a brilliant luster, and no damage. It is attractively set on contrasting crystallized calcite, which in turn coats a silvery, shimmering schist matrix.
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An exceptional quartz floater specimen featuring a striking double-terminated main crystal accompanied by numerous equally high-quality side crystals. The harmonious arrangement of the crystals creates a superbly clear and refined aesthetic with strong visual balance. All quartz crystals are highly lustrous, transparent, and beautifully defined, showcasing sharp terminations and excellent clarity throughout. As a true floater, the piece is fully crystallized all around, enhancing its display appeal from every angle. The condition is near perfect, with only microscopic signs of wear. A highly aesthetic specimen from this remote locality — combining elegance, quality, and natural perfection in one outstanding piece.
Galenstock, Rhone Glacier, Wallis, Switzerland
Size: 10.4 x 7.2 x 6.6 cm
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This smoky quartz is really spectacularly good! What makes it special is the impressive dark smoky color and quality as well as the incredible composition. The piece is completely perfect all around, even the bottom is crystallized. It’s almost pure quartz with only a small patch of feldspar rich matrix on its right end. The quality of the main quartz crystals is outstanding. Adding some direct backlight you can see the amazing warm brown color that occupies the transparent main crystal. That main crystal, as well as several smaller ones, are perched on a massive quartz matrix that again has a lustrous, well defined upper surface. A wonderful specimen of utter perfection!
Zinggenstock, Grimsel area, Hasli valley, Berner Oberland, Switzerland
Size: 6.5 x 6 x 4 cm
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A striking 2.6 cm fluorite aggregate perched elegantly on a light-colored granite matrix. The fluorite displays an intense pink color combined with excellent transparency and is 100% damage-free, with all crystal surfaces in pristine condition. The crystal form is strongly modified, giving the fluorite the fascinating appearance of being composed of numerous small intergrown octahedrons. This complex structure creates exceptional depth and texture, enhancing the specimen’s visual appeal. Many of the individual octahedral tips show delicate violet zoning, which becomes especially noticeable upon closer inspection and produces a beautiful optical effect as the light interacts with the crystal faces. An eye-catching and high-quality specimen, combining vivid color, intricate form, and perfect condition.