Spessartine Garnet with Smoky Quartz on Microcline (ex Gerry Morvell Collection)

Item Description

Please note that this specimen is erroneously labeled as coming from Le Chan, but this was due to bad information when they were first discovered, and the entry for the locality has since been discredited from minda.org ( https://www.mindat.org/minlocsearch.php?frm_id=mls&cform_is_valid=1&cf_mls_page=1&minname=spessartine®ion=lechan ). With that said, the piece is clearly from the famous Wushan Mine and features gorgeous, razor-sharp, rather lustrous, gemmy, rich orange colored trapezohedral crystals measuring up to 4 mm associated with medium color, prismatic crystals of Smoky Quartz on cream colored Microcline matrix. There are even a couple of grey-green colored groups of Muscovite on the piece for a nice touch. The little Spessartines sparkle like jewels, as many of them are virtually water clear, and the excellent crystallization makes for a very enjoyable viewing experience with some magnification. No major damage anywhere, and just a wonderful piece of these classic Garnets. I love the fact that the Garnets are brilliant, sharp and smooth - no pitting or dull faces anywhere. Garnet is a well known mineral, but you have to keep in mind that it's quite rare to find fine quality orange Spessartines from any locality in the world, let alone fine gemmy crystals on matrix like this. Retail value on this one is $1,200. From the collection of Gerry Morvell.