Staurolite with Andalusite and Almandine (rare matrix specimen)

Item Description

An impressive full cabinet sized specimen of the uncommon Staurolites from the Picuris District in Taos County, New Mexico featuring many well-formed prismatic crystals of a dark reddish-brown hue measuring up to 1.3 cm, associated with Andalusite on schist matrix. Tiny pinkish-red Almandine Garnets can be seen upon close inspection for a nice touch. There are a few aspects of the piece that stand out to me, first is the size, as one rarely sees such robust cabinet sized examples from this area, but also the fact that the Staurolites are almost all single UN-twinned prisms. I found only one actual twin on the piece, the rest of the crystals appear to be un-twinned. Most of the Staurolites I've seen from the Picuris area are twinned, but they are also loose "floaters" off matrix, so to have a big piece like this filled with un-twinned crystals makes it all the more enticing.
From the collection of Dave Stoudt.