Gypsum with sand inclusions ("Desert Rose")

near Oued Souf, ("City of a Thousand Domes"), El Oued Province, Algeria
Large Cabinet, 18.2 x 6.7 x 5.6 cm
Start Time: 02/15/2018 7:00:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 02/22/2018 7:00:00 pm (CST)
Auction Closed

Item Description

This piece is a wonderful large cabinet sized display specimen of the well known "Desert Rose" Gypsum specimens from Algeria. The piece is a well-crystallized somewhat stalactitic group of tabular Gypsum crystals that have formed "rosette"-esque groups that are completely enveloped / included by sand from the Sahara Desert. The majority of the specimen is damage free, save the base where it was contacted, and only a few imperfections here and there. This is a very large specimen of the material, and I bought this piece directly from the man who mined it in Algeria, which is why I have a bit more specific locality than "Sahara Desert" like we're used to seeing with these specimens. Classic material from the north-central African desert.

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