Andradite var: Demantoid

Item Description

These fantastic Demantoid Garnet specimens appeared for sale in 2010, and certainly bolstered the world's supply of this green gem variety of Andradite. Sadly, the locality was short-lived, and the Antetezambato Mine produced some beautiful examples of Andradite (both Demantoid and Topazolite varieties) for only a brief time. It is almost certain according to our source that no more specimens will be ever collected, and it's a shame because these are some of the best examples of Andradite from any modern locality. I would say that best Demantoids from this locality, certainly hold their own against the classic examples from Russia or the Italian Alps, and will go down as some of the finest Demantoids in the world. It's important to note that it's rare to find good gemmy crystals of Demantoid on matrix, and a piece of this size and caliber is truly impressive. This full cabinet sized piece is a showy and fine quality example featuring dozens of sharp, lustrous, good sized, crystals of Demantoid showing a lovely combination of trapezohedral and dodecahedral faces sitting on matrix. Internally, the crystals are gemmy, and the color is a gorgeous green hue (with a slight blue overtone). The largest crystal measures 1.0 cm long (it's an compressed / elongated crystal on the edge of the specimen), but the more well-formed crystals are in the 5-6 mm range. A very good quality and showy piece with highly attractive crystals. Very little damage, only a few small nicks. It's hard to get your hands of cabinet sized pieces of this material, especially nowadays. Valued at $3,500 retail. PLEASE NOTE: The crystals are a stronger color in person than the photos /video indicate.
This piece comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.