Gold (rare locality specimen)

Item Description

A hard to find specimen from the Dixie Mine near Idaho Springs, Colorado. This mine sits along the eastern-most edge of the Colorado Mineral Belt, and specimens haven't been collected in several decades. This piece features attractive, arborescent clusters along with flattened "leaf"-like groups of beautifully yellow colored (and partially iron-stained) Gold, aesthetically sitting on matrix. The crystals are best seen under magnification, and they are truly breathtaking up close, and I can't remember seeing this kind of crystallization from this mine before, though I will admit we've only had a handful of Dixie Gold specimens to offer in the auctions over the years. A very attractive and desirable piece that would make a fantastic addition to any Gold suite, or a collection of Colorado minerals. I would price this one in the $3,000 range if I had it on the shelf at a show. This piece comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.