Spessartine on Albite (ex Brian Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

When these specimens first started emerging from Pakistan, they were (and still are) regarded as some of the finest crystallized Spessartine specimens in the world. They are for my money, the finest red Spessartines available today. This particular specimen features a 9 mm, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, rich red color textbook trapezohedron of Spessartine aesthetically sitting atop a mound of beautifully contrasting white Albite crystals. The Spessartine is virtually undamaged and complete all the way around. Strong backlighting shows the super color in this crystal and the aesthetics are ideal. The quality definitely is there on this piece, and these specimens are becoming less and less available on the market, certainly in the last 10 years. Considering how widespread and diverse the various species of Garnet are, it is surprisingly difficult to find extremely well crystallized matrix display specimens such as this one. A superb thumbnail worthy of any collection.