Andradite on Diopside (rare association for the locality)

Item Description

The Stanley Butte Area in Arizona is famous for producing distinctive and beautiful green Andradite Garnets. Typically the only species you'll see on these specimens, is Andradite, but this one has the rare association of soft greenish-grey colored crystals of Diopside. A quick glance over the 100 or so specimens of Andradite on mindat.org reveals that NONE of them mention an association of Diopside, so this is a great rarity from the locality. The Andradite crystals are textbook, euhedral dodecahedrons measuring up to 9 mm across, which show a rich greenish-golden hue when backlit, not the typical greenish hue. The Garnets have a soft matte luster and are semi-isolated on the matrix, not a tightly intergrown group, like we're used to seeing from the locality. A cool oddball piece (with very little damage) for any fan of worldwide Garnets, or minerals from Arizona.