Spessartine Garnet on Smoky Quartz on Microcline

Item Description

Any fan of Garnets or Chinese minerals can tell you that the pieces from the Wushan Mine are some of the most impressive examples of any Garnet species to come out in 20 years. The combination of the brilliant orange crystals often associated with Smoky Quartz is not only iconic, but these are now classics in the mineral world. This wonderful display specimen hosts many brilliant, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, fine orange color crystals Spessartine Garnet measuring up to 4 mm are sprinkled on select faces of a 5.7 cm long, GEMMY, sharp, lustrous, Smoky Quartz crystal group and sitting on cream colored Microcline matrix. Upon close inspection, I can see that the Garnets show a combination of trapezohedral and dodecahedral faces, though some are only trapezohedral in habit. I love how the Smoky Quartz is dramatically flaring out of the matrix. No major damage that I can see. It's really important to note that the Spessartines are lustrous and smooth, and not pitted or dull like you see in Spessartines from other world localities. Also, the orange color in these crystals is not terribly common either, as you can't find really good quality orange Spessartines from almost anywhere. This combination of colors is really eye-catching and the aesthetics are wonderful. If you collect Garnets or Chinese minerals, don't miss out on this one as few are available on the market now. Priced in the inventory at $1,000.