Spessartine Garnet with Schorl and Albite (classic material) (ex Norm Dawson Collection)

Item Description

It's very difficult to find specimens of Spessartine from the Little Three Mine on the market these days, as specimens have not been found in decades. This piece is a wonderful miniature and a very desirable association specimen from thsi classic locality. It features a sharp, lustrous, gemmy, beautiful orange colored dodecahedron of Spessartine Garnet which is sitting beautifully between a single, prismatic, jet-black crystal of Schorl Tourmaline and partially enveloped with a semi "rosettes" of bladed Albite (var: "Cleavelandite"). The Schorl crystal has a very attractive "stepped" / etched termination which is not common in my experience with this material. Anybody will tell you that if you can get all three of these species together from the Little Three Mine, it's the most desirable combiantion for collectors. The piece is a in good shape all around and looks great from a few angles. The piece comes from the collection of Norm Dawson and dates back to the 1960s. Norm was a fixture in southern California mining / collecting, and was probably best known as the owner of the famous White Queen Mine. Valued at $1,750 in the inventory.