Andradite Garnet (Geode / "Coconut") (new find)

Item Description

We recently acquired a very small parcel of these new an interesting Andradite Garnets from a good friend in Peru. We're told that they're coming from the Pampa Blanca District, but we don't have 100% confirmation on the locality. The locals call these specimens "coconuts" as they form in hollow geode-shaped "spheres", which are cracked open to reveal multiple generations / layers of different colored Garnet. The exterior of the piece shows a dark reddish-brown hue with dodecahedral crystals with trapezohedral modifications. When you flip it over, you can see that the interior hostos with golden colored crystals, but the broken edges of the piece show multi-layered banding which range from reddish-brown to green to golden. The largest crystal on the exterior measures 1.2 cm across. A very cool and unusual Garnet specimen that would make a great addition a Garnet suite, a Peruvian collection or a collection of mineral oddities.