Andradite Garnet (var: Demantoid)

Item Description

Starting in2005, we were began to see some really fine quality specimens of Andradite Garnet (var: Demantoid) coming from the Ghazni Province in Afghanistan. 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. When it comes to Demantoid specimens, most collectors will think of either Russia, Italy or the recent Madagascar material, but when the new (at the time) Afghani specimens are at their best, they are very fine quality. This is an attractive miniature specimen of this elusive material featuring many tiny, razor-sharp, highly lustrous, gemmy, wonderful mint-green color dodecahedral crystals of Demantoid with trapezohedral modifications measuring up to about 2 mm sitting on Chrysotile and matrix. The little crystals are best seen with magnifications, but the faces reflect like mirrors, which combined with the beautiful color make for a nice overall specimens. These crystals actually display a slight color shift from a blue-green color to a yellow-green hue depending upon the lighting under which it's viewed.