Schorl, Spessartine, Feldspar, and Muscovite

Item Description

The Little Three Mine has become well-known for its Spessartine Garnets in combination with Schorl and Feldspar, an American classic, but few specimens turn up on the market. This is actually primarily a schorl specimen, with garnet accents! . Most of these good ones date back to the Louis Spalding, Sr. era of mining (60s/70s), when the best all came out of this small mine in remote San Diego County. This fine, small cabinet piece is highlighted by two gemmy Spessartines, 1 cm and 1.4 cm respectively. Though partially contacted, these Garnets have the bright, vivid orange color that these crystals are famous for and help make this a really interesting combo piece. The matrix is made of crystallized Feldspar, and the 4.2 cm Schorl completely penetrates the piece top to bottom! Both Schorls are lustrous and provide a nice visual interest for the specimen. This an aesthetic, quality piece for this classic combination, and the excellent orange color, gemminess, and form of the Spessartines, as well as the quality of the Schorl, make this a really unusual piece. This was recently deaccessed from the extensive collection of Bob Reynolds, who cherished both minerals and fossils as he collected. Bob is a prolific author and has had several curating positions in museums.