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Hiddenite Specimens
Hiddenite is a pale-to-emerald green variety of spodumene that is sometimes used as a gemstone. The
first specimens of the hiddenite variety of spodumene were recovered about 1879 near the tiny settlement of White Plains,
west of Stony Point, Alexander County, North Carolina. According to contemporary accounts, a young man named Lackey brought
them to the attention of J.A.D. Stephenson, a local merchant who was also an ardent collector of minerals. Initially, the
yellowish to greenish-yellow hiddenites were thought to be gemmy diopside. Stephenson brought the discovery to the attention
of exploration geologist William Earl Hidden, who had been commissioned by Thomas Edison to search for any sources of platinum
in North Carolina. In addition to the North Carolina locality, Hiddenite has also been found in Brazil, China, and Madagascar.
Green spodumene found in Afghanistan and Pakistan has excited modest amounts of controversy in the mineral and gemological
communities with debate over whether or not it should be truly considered "hiddenite."
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Excellent single crystal from the Kunar Valley in Afghanistan.Has a well-defined termination andthere's even a couple
of phantom terminations just below tip that didn't come out in the photos, but is still very cool! Approx. size" 50x5x5
Weight: 3.7 grams
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