Description

Detailed Description

This is a beautiful spessartine crystal, with sharp, stepped crystal faces, great lustre and deep red colour. In excellent condition. A fantastic garnet crystal!

A word about the photographs and appearance of this specimen. This Navegadora spessartine can look different in different lighting conditions. The photographs here are meant to convey the lustre, the incredible detail, the superb internal colour when well lit from behind, and also the dark appearance in lower light conditions. When looking at this specimen under modest light, it is dark red, with glints of transparent red (as shown in the last photo). Under display lights, the lustre is superb. Examined with strong light from behind, this crystal is intense deep gem red throughout. The last photo is of the backside.

About these Spessartines

These spessartines are from the famous March 2003 pocket at the Navegadora Mine. The Navegadora Mine exploits a pegmatite and produces feldspar for commercial purposes – It is not mined for specimens, and this pocket was unique. In an article in Rocks and Minerals (“Spessartine from the Navegadora Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil” Vol. 84, Jan-Feb 2009) author John White discusses how these spessrtines formed. While etching was involved, the specific mechanism that resulted in the final forms of these etched crystals remains a mystery.