Gold (highly compressed crystals)

Item Description

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 US locality. These pieces have found their way into collections all over the world, and for good reason. This is a classic example of this famous material from the old finds of the 1990s. This cabinet specimen hosts small, brilliant, sharp, lustrous, light yellow, highly compressed crystals which resemble thin "leaves" of Gold scattered on the underlying matrix. With some magnification, you can see how beautiful and delicate the little Gold "leaves" are with wonderful luster and eye-cathing formations. 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. The large central group of Gold measures 1.5 cm across at its widest dimension. 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.