Andradite Garnet (var: Demantoid)

Item Description

About 15 years ago (2005), we started seeing some really fine quality specimens of Andradite Garnet (var: Demantoid) coming from the Ghazni Province in Afghanistan. When it comes to Demantoid specimens, most collectors will think of either Russia, Italy or the recent Madagascar material, but when the Afghani specimens are at their best, they are very fine quality. Here we have a very nice miniature specimen of this elusive material featuring a razor-sharp, very lustrous, gemmy, wonderful green color (with a blue overtone), textbook dodecahedral crystal of Demantoid measuring a whopping 1.3 cm sitting right in the middle of the underlying host rock matrix. Now as you can see from the photos, the crystal does have a few minor rough spots around the edges, so it's not completely perfect - hence the auction listing - but the faces of the crystal reflect like mirrors, which combined with the impressive size and color, make it one of the best crystals of Demantoid I've seen from the locality. Lastly, this crystal actually displays a color shift from a blue-green color to a yellow-green hue depending upon the lighting under which it's viewed. If you're a Garnet collector, or a fan of minerals from Afghanistan, this is a significant piece to add to your collection, as the size and quality of the crystal is very impressive, not just for the locality, but Demantoid around the world. Originally priced at $1,250 in the inventory, were the piece 100% perfect, I could see it retailing for much more.