Gold (elongated cluster)

Item Description

This item is part of a special benefit auction for the Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals (ricenorthwestmuseum.org). Items are either deaccessions from the museum's collection or were donated by generous supporters listed below.

Auction open April 1, 2021 through April 17, 2021.

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, April 19, 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.

This elongate, somewhat flattened and sculptural Native Gold specimen from the Ace of Diamonds Mine is composed entirely of tiny and very bright Gold crystals of unusual habit. The crystals comprise a tight latticework made up of less than 0.5 up to 2 mm, slightly extended octahedrons, some of which appear skeletal under the microscope. It looks more like a thick architectural Gold leaf! This is an aesthetic and showy Gold specimen from this mine and pieces from here are difficult to find on the market since the mine is now closed and under the jurisdiction of the BLM and are said to be from the 1950s-1980s. This stately piece has a mass of 12.63 grams.