large Spessartine Garnet and Smoky Quartz on Feldspar

Item Description

A classic old style Chinese garnet specimen featuring the combination we all love the most, one of the most recognized in the mineral world now. It has sharp, GEM TRANSPARENT smoky quartz crystals on which are perched GEM TRANSPARENT orange garnet crystals. The contrasts, with the light sprinkling of garnet atop quartz and feldspar, are striking. Seldom do you get a plate this size in such condition, and with such black-on-white contrast. The garnets are all gem quality and have more life to them in person than photos tend to ascribe. Cameras just cannot capture the twinkling effect of garnets as they catch the light. This is 360 degrees, and complete all around. This particular specimen was from the personal collection of the son of the family which controlled the main mine here, which I purchased in China in 2013. Joe Budd photos. This is a pristine display specimen from the heyday of this mine in the mid-2000s finds collected by Chinese field collector and our friend, Chen Wei Gang. It is from the personal family collection they kept as the mining here was exhausted, and current mining of similar material from miarolitic pegmatites moved northwards to the new location (Yunxiao). Styles are subtly different, new vs. old. This is a superb, large, pristine specimen with no repairs, valued $5000-plus.