Anatase with Quartz

specimen number:
1052723

location:
Selva, Poschiavo, Bernina, Grisons, Switzerland

description:
Deep blue to almost black crystals of anatase to 0.4 cm in size scattered across the top of matrix. In good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The piece was originally obtained through American dealer Lazard Cahn in 1914.

The Selva alpine region, situated within the Tujetsch municipality of the upper Surselva Valley in Grisons, Switzerland, is a classic mineralogical locality famed for producing some of the world's finest, highly lustrous, and well-crystallized specimens of alpine anatase. Geologically, these prized titanium dioxide crystals are hosted within the Gotthard crystalline massif, specifically occurring inside hydrothermal open fissures, locally called alpine clefts, that cut through metamorphic gneisses and mica schists. During the late stages of the Alpine orogeny, hot, chemically active aqueous fluids dissolved titanium from the surrounding host rocks and slowly reprecipitated it as exceptionally sharp, tabular, deep blue to black anatase crystals, often perched elegantly on a contrasting matrix of white adularia feldspar or smoky quartz. Historically, due to the extreme high-altitude alpine terrain and strict environmental regulations, the area has never seen commercial industrial underground or open-cast mining operations. Instead, extraction has been carried out exclusively by traditional, local crystal hunters, known as strahlers, who have systematically worked these dangerous surface clefts using hand tools for centuries. This highly selective, seasonal specimen recovery peaked during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and continues in controlled, small-scale waves through 2026, ensuring that antique and modern Selva anatase specimens remain incredibly scarce and highly revered benchmarks of Swiss mineralogy.

Lazard Cahn (1865-1940) was a prominent American mineral dealer and self-taught crystallographer based in Colorado Springs who became one of the most respected figures in the field during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was widely recognized for his exceptional ability to identify rare species and for his meticulous study of crystal forms, eventually having the borate mineral cahnite named in his honor. Cahn operated a high-end mineral dealership that catered to major museums and elite private collectors, specializing in rare alpine minerals and classic American localities. His professional career was marked by significant contributions to mineralogical literature, including his work on the micromounting of specimens and his detailed descriptions of complex twinning laws.

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