Grossular Garnet (ex Al Kidwell Collection)

Item Description

Please note that this specimen was labeled as coming from "Lake Jaco", which was a misnomer for all these Grossulars years ago. For reference, there are no Garnets found at Lake Jaco, but they are found within Sierra de Cruces. This piece features sharp, well-formed, semi-lustrous crystals of Grossular measuring up to 2.3 cm across, with very minor matrix underneath. The color of the crystals is a dark greenish-brown hue, and the habit is predominantly dodecahedral, but there are thin trapezohedral modifications along the edges. No major damage that I can see. A good representative specimen of this old classic material from circa 1950s-1960s. From the worldwide mineral collection of Albert Lewis Kidwell (January 1, 1919 - August 16, 2008). Al was a well-known mineral collector and research geologist with Carter Oil Company and later Exxon Oil Company in Houston, Texas. The phosphate species Kidwellite was named in his honor in 1974.