Garnet gem - USA origin! Ex. Jim Houran

Item Description

This specimen is part of the 2020 Dallas Mineral Collecting Symposium benefit auction, with proceeds benefiting Mineralogical Record, Rocks & Minerals, Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, and mindat.org. Thanks to all of our participants!

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, August 24, for payment using PayPal or credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost, or please contact brandy@mineralauctions.com if you'd like to plan on picking up items at future shows or during a stop through Dallas.

A gorgeous, vibrant and wine-red Montana garnet of high quality for the location, from the collection of USA Crystals & Gems, assembled by Jim Houran. It is 10 carats and was the best Montana cut garnet in the collection. It is nearly clean, with just a few tiny imperfections inside. You can see in the photo of the writeup that came with it that this was a rare find from a Montana local, a source of rough gemstones to the trade. It was reportedly found on a piece of property on the bank of the Missouri River, that has been mined for both gold and sapphires for 100 years. Garnets were found, but rarely (and this is thought to be a pyrope-spessartine). The rough for this stone came with sapphires , all from the area. Jim is a lifelong collector of gems, who discovered minerals after gemstones and has become a major thumbnail collector in his own right. He built a collection of matching gems with rough crystals, of which this was part. See his short talk on collector psychology, presented this weekend in the Symposium! Suggested value is $750