Andradite Garnet (var: Demantoid)

Item Description

This piece dates back to 2005, when the first of these really fine quality specimens of Andradite Garnet (var: Demantoid) startied 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 really attactive specimen of this elusive material featuring several razor-sharp, very lustrous, translucent, wonderful green color (with a blue overtone), textbook dodecahedral crystals of Demantoid measuring a whopping 1.0 cm across sitting among Chrysotile "needles" on host rock matrix. Now as you can see from the photos, not all of the crystals are perfect, but the faces on most crystals are bright and shiny, which combined with the impressive size and color, make it one of the better specimens of Demantoid I've seen from the locality. Lastly, the crystals actually display a color shift from a blue-green color to a yellow-green hue depending upon the lighting under which they're 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 $1,500 in the inventory, were the piece 100% perfect, I could see it retailing for much more.