Gold (superb sharp crystals)

Item Description

In the modern age of mineral collecting, 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. There are not nearly as many of these specimens on the market compared to 20+ years ago, and it's a shame because some of them exhibit some of the most beautiful and superb crystallization you'll see from anywhere. This piece is a near LARGE CABINET sized, classic example of this famous material from the old finds of the 1990s. The piece hosts small, brilliant, very sharp, notably well-formed, metallic yellow crystals Gold scattered over the underlying 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. Most of the crystals are octahedral in habit, but there are some modifying dodecahedral and tetrahexahedral faces (along with what I believe to be a few trapezohedral faces) creating wonderful morphologies. 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. Priced at $1,500.