Spinel (''floater'' crystal)

Item Description

The Spinel crystals from Mahenge are among the best examples of the species to be found in the last 20+ years in terms of size, color and quality. Many people are familiar with the pink to red Spinels from Mogok in Myanmar, and both localities feature crystals with that saturated rose hue. This thumbnail sized piece was found in 2010 and features a good quality, fairly, sharp, well-formed, euhedral "floater" octahedral crystal of rose colored Spinel. The crystal shows a bit of etching on the surface, but it's complete all the way around. The piece displays well from several angles. The crystal is translucent when backlit. For a final touch, the Spinel shows an intense cherry-red fluorescence under UV light. Spinel is a "gem crystal" species that you don't see well-represented in most collections, so don't miss out on your chance to get a good example of this how hard to find material for your own collection.