Almandine Garnet (classic material)

Item Description

A classic full-sized cabinet display specimen from one of the most iconic mineral localities in Alaska.  Wrangell Island is well-known locality in the far southeastern part of the state, and for many years was the source of some of the most iconic Garnets from any world locality.  Not only are these Almandine specimens well-known among collectors, (you can find them in countless old collections and museums around the world), but they are now high in demand since very little material has been collected over the last few decades.  They seemed to have all but disappeared from the market in recent years.  They are nearly as red as any species of Garnet gets, and they are often feature good sized crystals on slivery-grey Biotite matrix.  This specimen hosts a 2.2 cm, well-formed crystal with defined dodecahedral trapezohedral faces, aesthetically perched atop the contrasting, almost metallic schist matrix. The crystal is quite sharp for the locality, and show a gorgeous deep wine red color when backlit.  A beautiful and displayable specimen of this famous material.  You never see pieces of this size on the market, and there are ZERO repairs, which is significant, and these crystals can sometimes "pop" out of the matrix.
From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".