purple Spinel cluster

Item Description

Purple spinel! A showy and excellent intergrown cluster of lustrous, translucent, purplish-lavender, spinel octahedrons from recent finds in Vietnam. The crystals reach 3.5 cm and have nifty etched/stepped-growth faces which you can make out in the over-bright photos designed to show reflection off these faces. A bit of minor contacting is noted, but is certainly not a detraction, as you can see. Large, highly representative crystals of the species and locale. unusual in such a rich and large cluster.