Hiddenite, N.C. - hiddenites & emeralds

[kawill]

Hi Everyone,

Just want to show off the Hiddenite NC specimens I acquired. On left is a 1 5/16 inch hiddenite crystal from Terry Ledford’s mining site. The next one is hiddenite crystals on gneiss with pyrite, quartz and monazite-Ce. This specimen was collected by Fredrick Kunz (kunzite) and Burnham Colburn right after this mineral was discovered by W. Hidden. This hiddenite was part of the Belmont Abby Museum collection and then acquired by the famous mineral collector Martin Zinn.
The third is a 148-carat, 2-inch emerald crystal and the last is a 51-carat emerald crystal with rutile.

With the uncertain future of Hiddenite, I feel very lucky to be able to get these specimens.

Thanks for looking,

Keith

[dr00bie]

WOW!!!!

That is the first hiddenite that I have seen in matrix... those are some great specimens! Very good buy!

Drew

[stevebarr]

Nice stuff Keith! Could you kindly post a map of where you keep them in the house, how to get to your place, and which nights you are out bowling or something like that? I'm sure the rest of us would like to do a "fieldtrip" soon.

Those are awesome specimens. Congratulations!

-Steve

[snakewrangler]

MY GOODNESS. How in the world did you come across those. You are very lucky and those are very nice specimens.

Kyle

[kawill]

Hi Kyle,

I was just surfing the net and came across the hiddenite on matrix and large emerald the same day. It was just luck. I sold my micromount collection to pay for these. I had to have them. I've always been fascinated with Hiddenite minerals.

Drew, I guess there are maybe a few dozen hiddenite on matrix specimens around. This is the fourth one I've seen. The Mineral Gallery has two for sale right now. One large specimen for $2500 and one on his auction for $300. I'm just amazed by the pedigree this specimen has. It is also a reference specimen on mindat.

Steve, Sorry I don't bowl.

Happy Holidays,

Keith

[arockaway]

Hi Keith!

I just joined dirtyrockhounds and was wondering what you knew about hiddenite. My husband and I went to Emerald Hollow Mine in Hiddenite NC for our honeymoon. (Yes, we saw the Travel Channel programs.) Anyway, one of the last $10.00 superbuckets I did contained a small hiddenite crystal!! Amazing since I told everyone that "we were going to Hiddenite NC to get a piece". It looks just like your first picture, but is just under 1 inch long and weighs around a gram. It was the first piece found at the mine in a while, though a man, a local I think, had 'just come in from the field' and had a small handful of the mineral to sell. The mine said our piece was worth anywhere from $100-$120, had a really nice color and great crystal formation shape. They seemed more surprised than we were that we found it in one of their $10.00 buckets, though one of their workers told us that was the best to look for hiddenite. We were also told that Hiddenite is so rare that there is actually no set price for it. Is it true that this is the rarest mineral on the North American continent and the 4th rarest in the world? Were we really that lucky to get a honeymoon treasure or is there more out there than the mine lets on? Thanks! arockaway

[lauriesrocks]

Hiddenite is probably not even the 400th rarest mineral from N. America, but it is still pretty rare! And it is certainly more valuable than most of those other 400 or so.

[di66er]

Hi Keith
Wow really fine crystals! I'm green w/envy hehehe Glad you were able to add them to your collection beauty eh!