Spodumene (superb crystal) (RARE locality specimen)

Item Description

The famous Foote Mine in North Carolina dates back to the 1930s, and is the source of many fine quality rare phosphates and silicates, many of which occur in superb crystallized micro crystals. The mineralization occured in a quartz-microcline-spodumene pegmatite, but good crystallized specimens of Spodumene are actually quite rare to find on the market. This particulr thumbnail is honestly the finest crystallized example of Spodumene from this locality that we've ever had to offer. I've seen larger examples (the Smithsonian has a 15 cm crystal on display), but nothing as sharp and well-formed as this piece. The 2.1 cm "sword"-shaped primsatic crystal on this specimen is textbook in form and notably thick for its size. The crystal is complete all the way around with no damage that I can see with the naked eye, and is beautiful sitting on massive slightly smoky colored Quartz. The piece displays on its own without the aid of a base or clay. A beautiful sandy-golden hue can be seen inside the crystal with a bit of a backlighting, showing that it is not opaque, but actually slightly gemmy in areas. If you collect thumbnails, worldwide Spodumenes, pegmatite minerals or specifically pieces from the historic Foote Mine, do NOT miss out on this one as collecting is now forbidden by the new ownership, and you may never see anything like this on the market again.