Spessartine Garnet on Galena (rare combo)

Item Description

The Broken Hill area is one of the most famous mineral localities in the world. This prestigious mining area is located in New South Wales, Australia and historically was one of the top mineral specimen producing localities in history. The ample number of unique specimens, combined with the plethora of species found in fine quality example made it a landmark locality for collectors. Mineral specimens aside, the actually value of the ORES from this area were a key factor for early prosperity in the Australia mining industry, and fair number of the minerals found here are iconic classics, unique in their appearance, quality and associations. One of the most unique associations from this locality are the beautiful Spessartine Garnets with Galena, and while neither species is considered rare, there are VERY few places in the world where they are found together. I can't remember seeing the two minerals together outside of Broken Hill, though a quick search online does pull up a few additional results of the species found together from scattered world localities. This piece is an big and impressive hefty cabinet sized specimen hosting several notably well-formed, sharp, lustrous, euhedral Spessartine crystals measuring up to 2.2 cm, sitting on beautiful, metallic, silvery-grey, cubic Galena matrix. Some small spots of golden metallic Pyrite can be seen as well. The Spessartines are a dark red hue, presumably from a bit of iron content, but if you can get a strong light behind them, a handful of the crystals are actually quite gemmy, one in particular looks to be nearly water-clear inside. I love the combination of the dodecahedral and trapezohedral faces that are equally represented on most crystals. Overall the piece is in great shape, most of the Spessartines are undamaged, and it's truly one of the biggest and heaviest (the piece weighs 1,562 grams = nearly 3.5 pounds) examples of this rare association that we've had to offer from this esteemed locality.
Valued $3,500 for the size, the odd association, the locality, and the fact that you almost never see them on the market today.