Topaz on Albite (ex Bob Reynolds Collection)

Item Description

A wonderful old-time specimen from the famous Little Three Mine in San Diego County that dates back to the 1970s. This locality is famous for producing the best blue Topaz crystals from anywhere in San Diego County, and this piece is a nice example of said material. A 3.3 cm, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, very pale blue (nearly colorless) Topaz crystal is beautifully sitting atop bladed white/colorless bladed Albite (var: Cleavelandite) crystals, which are more than translucent, they're bordering on gemmy. A slightly smoky colored Quartz crystal can be seen on the side of the piece for a very nice touch. I found one tiny green Tourmaline prism, and an unknown silvery-grey mineral that is sitting below the surface of the Albite. Overall, the piece is in good condition with no major damage that I can find on the display side. The piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay, and would make a great addition to any suite of pegmatite minerals, gem crystals or specimens from San Diego County. Valued at $2,000 in the inventory. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds who passed in August of 2020. Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011.