Gold

Item Description

Most people think of California when it comes to Gold specimens from the US, but the famous Golds from the Alta Gold Mine in the Olinghouse District of Nevada are some of the most recognizable and beautifully well-crystallized Gold specimens from any locality in the country. You just don't see them on market anymore, but they are must-have specimens for any fan of Gold, as they have some of the most attractive crystallizations (sometimes at the micro level), that you'll see for the species. This piece is a nice small cabinet sized example from the old finds of the 1990s. The piece hosts a couple small "nest"-like groups comprising, brilliant, sharp, metallic soft yellow bladed/compressed crystals of Gold sitting on matrix. With some magnification, you can see how beautiful and delicate the little Gold crystal are with wonderful luster, gorgeous striations and eye-catching forms. The crystals are best seen under the microscope, but you can get a good idea of their quality with a loupe, and I've photographed them with a Canon MP-E 65 mm macro lens to better illustrate their quality. This mine is now closed, with further specimen production unlikely, so if you're a fan of Gold specimens or fine crystallized examples (albeit micro) of native elements, don't miss out on this one.