Spessartine Garnet with Smoky Quartz and Baveno Twinned Microcline

Item Description

These pieces are some of the most beautiful and instantly recognizable Spessartines from any locality in the modern era of mineral collecting. This attractive toenail specimen hosts superb, sharp, gemmy, lustrous, rich orange colored crystals of Spessartine Garnet measuring up to 3.5 mm which are associated with a solitary, gemmy, richly colored, prismatic, hexagonal Smoky Quartz crystal and a group of beige colored Baveno twinned Microcline crystals. The Garnets show excellent trapezohedral faces, some of which have tiny diamond-shaped dodecahedral modification.  I found a tiny bit of white "Hyalite" Opal (now called Opal-AN) that formed a semi-"halo"-shape around one of the Spessartines for a really nice touch.  The piece is in very good condition with minimal damage. I love the fact that the Garnets are brilliant, sharp and smooth - no pitting or dull faces anywhere. Garnet is a well known mineral, but you have to keep in mind that it's quite rare to find brilliant orange Spessartines on matrix from any locality in the world, especially with attractive associated species.