Muscovite pseudo. after Spessartine garnet (rare!)

Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Cabinet, 10.0 x 9.0 x 6.6 cm
Start Time: 08/16/2021 5:00:00 pm (CDT)
End Time: 08/21/2021 6:05:00 pm (CDT)
Auction Closed
Winning Bid: $525

Item Description

This specimen is part of the 2021 Dallas Mineral Collecting Symposium benefit auction, with proceeds benefiting Mineralogical Record, Rocks & Minerals, Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, and mindat.org. Thanks to all of our participants!

Billing for this auction will occur on Monday, August 23, for payment using PayPal or a credit card. Shipping will be billed at cost.

Of all the unusual things to come out of Brazil, over many years I have seen just 2 comparable examples of this bizarre replacement of a giant Spessartine Garnet crystal, by sparkling golden mica! Quartz and albite form the matrix for this superb example of muscovite replacing spessartine in a complete pseudomorph of one after the other. This is incredibly unusual, and I am not aware of this replacement from any other locality. Not only is it unusual, but it is big and sparkly and geometric, as well...The sparkly, greenish tan crystal measures 6 cm across and still exhibits the classic garnet textbook-crystallography. Complete all around, and a true "aesthetic oddity" it makes an impact because it is something so weird it is at first hard to identify what you are looking at and is sparkling as a bonus. I have had only two of these, in 30 years. Valued $4500. Donated by Rob Lavinsky/Arkenstone to the Symposium Auction

Did You Know We Offer Custom Bases?

Learn More

Bidding History

Bid Amount Bid Time
$525 08/21/2021 5:59:48 pm (CDT)
$500 * 08/21/2021 5:31:14 pm (CDT)
$500 * 08/21/2021 5:31:14 pm (CDT)
$490 08/21/2021 12:08:24 pm (CDT)
$480 08/21/2021 12:08:24 pm (CDT)
$460 08/21/2021 11:33:08 am (CDT)
$450 08/21/2021 11:33:08 am (CDT)
$360 08/21/2021 11:33:01 am (CDT)
$350 08/21/2021 11:33:01 am (CDT)
$260 08/20/2021 7:38:39 pm (CDT)
$250 08/20/2021 7:38:39 pm (CDT)
$210 08/20/2021 7:38:30 pm (CDT)
$200 08/20/2021 7:38:29 pm (CDT)
$154 08/18/2021 6:14:08 pm (CDT)
$144 08/18/2021 6:14:07 pm (CDT)
$120 08/17/2021 10:35:54 am (CDT)
$110 08/17/2021 10:35:54 am (CDT)
$100 08/17/2021 1:33:46 am (CDT)
* Proxy Bid Battle: In the event of two customers inputting matching proxy bids, the leading bid goes to the earliest of the two proxy bids. Tie winners are shown in bold.