Almandine Garnets, Smoky Quartz & Muscovite

Item Description

Mineral specimens of any species are rare from this obscure locality in the famous Spruce Pine District. Highly lustrous, sharp, almandine garnet dodecahedrons beveled by trapezohedron faces are aesthetically set in the granular smoky quartz and pearlescent platy muscovite matrix. The garnets are a deep wine-red, but have striking and beautiful areas of cherry-red gemminess. The two large crystals are 1.8 cm. Bruising is noted, but this remains a very showy and rare combination example of the species from this less well-known locale.