Spessartine Garnet with Smoky Quartz

Item Description

If you're a fan of Garnets, the pieces from the Wushan Mine are some of the most impressive examples of any Garnet species to come out in 20 years. The combination of the brilliant orange crystals often associated with Smoky Quartz makes for some great pieces. With that said, it's difficult to find a Spessartine crystal from this locality measuring over 1.0 cm, but THIS piece actually hosts a 1.3 cm crystal, which is incredibly large for the locality. The crystal itself is rich reddish-orange hue with excellent dodecahedral form, sharp faces and fine luster. I can see a narrow trapezohedral modification for a nice touch as well. Dozens of smaller Spessartines along with prismatic Smoky Quartz crystals are covering the display side of the underlying pinkish Microcline matrix. No major damage that I can see, only a little bit of roughness around the periphery where it was removed from the pocket. This combination of colors is really eye-catching and these pieces are now classics. If you collect Garnets or Chinese minerals, this is an important piece for the sheer size of the main Spessartine crystal alone. I genuinley apprecaite that the Spessartines are lustrous and smooth, and not pitted or dull like you see in Spessartines from other world localities. Also, the orange color in these crystals is not terribly common either, as you can't find really good quality orange Spessartines from almost anywhere. Priced in the inventory at $950.