Gahnite (superb crystal!) (ex Dr. Miguel Romero Collection)

Item Description

This is without a doubt the sharpest and most lustrous individual crystal of Gahnite that I've seen from the famous Passaic Pit locality at Sterling Hill. A 2.3 cm octahedron with stunningly mirror like luster and incredibly smooth faces is centered among the Calcite/Augite/Hendricksite matrix. On a side note, Hendrickites is the only Zn-dominant mica currently known, which makes sense as it's associated with Gahnite, essentially a Zn-dominant member of the Spinel group. Gahnite is rarely found in crystals this size that aren't distorted, rounded, "lumpy" / etched or just plain crude looking from any locality in the world. I've seen some sharp crystals from the Passaic Pit, and I've seen some lustrous crystals, but never have I seen both qualities combined in a Gahnite like this one. This is one of my favorite pieces in this week's auction as it combines rarity with superior quality, two of the best attributes of a fine mineral specimen. With strong lighting, you can flashes of deep emerald / chrome green on the surface, so the crystal is not black. It's such an important piece not only for Gahnite, but for Franklin, and if you know anything about Franklin minerals, don't pass this one up. If you collect US minerals or members of the Spinel group, or just fine quality crystals on matrix, don't miss out on this one. Yes, this crystal has a tiny nick, but I won't let it take away from the fact that this is an important and valuable mineral specimen. I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I would place the value somewhere around $3000-$3500. From the collection of Senator / Dr. Miguel Romero of Teuhuacan, Mexico (Collection #2208). For more information on this important collection, use the link to this free online copy of our 2008 book on his collection: http://www.irocks.com/e-book-romero/