Axinite-(Mn) (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

This a good quality, rare old-time specimen from the famous Little Three Mine in San Diego County that dates back to the 1960s-1970s. This locality is quite well-known for producing the best blue Topaz crystals from anywhere in San Diego County along with vivid orange Spessartines, but this piece is a much rarer and desirable specimen of Axinite-(Mn). This thumbnail sized specimen is a sharp, well-formed brown bladed crystal, free of matrix. When backlit, you can see there is good internal translucency. A couple edges are contacted, but it's still a fine quality must-have specimen for any fan of pegmatite minerals or specimens from the famous Little Three Mine.
From the collection of Bill Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer as well as a miner and collector. Bill is synonymous with minerals of San Diego County, and owned and operated famous mines such as the Stewart Lithia, the Tourmaline Queen, the Pala Chief and the Himalaya, producing some of the most iconic mineral specimens to come out of the area during the 1970s-1980s. Bill is also known as "Burma Bill" and traveled the world for decades in search of fine gems and minerals, and was directly involved in the in-person acquisition and importation of superb specimens and stones from Myanmar (Burma). You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/