Spessartine Garnet on Feldspar

Description

A richly crystallised miniature with deep reddish-brown garnets scattered across a pale, textured Feldspar matrix.

Numerous lustrous Spessartine Garnet crystals cover the cream-coloured matrix, from tiny sparkling crystals to larger, sharply faceted individuals. Their colour appears deep reddish-brown, with warmer orange-red highlights where the light catches their edges.

The uneven matrix gives the display face depth and reveals further crystal groups from different viewing angles. A clear bevelled glass base supports the specimen for display, and the photographs include both close views and a view of its presentation box.

The associated pale mineral is described as Feldspar, likely Orthoclase or Microcline. Its exact species has not been analytically confirmed. The dimensions are approximate and refer to the mineral specimen.

Please examine all five natural photographs closely. for sale.

Handling: Lift by the display base and avoid pressure on the small garnet crystals.

The recorded Feldspar association is part of the natural setting of this specimen. Feldspars are a broad family of rock-forming silicates, and their texture offers a useful contrast with the featured crystals. Seeing the minerals together preserves the relationship between the main growth and its host, adding interest to the overall arrangement.

The Feldspar matrix provides a contrasting setting for the featured crystals. Its pale, finely crystallised areas help define the darker or more strongly coloured growth, while the points where the minerals meet retain the natural relationship between them. The matrix is therefore part of the appeal of this piece, giving the main crystals a setting rather than presenting them in isolation.

Garnet is a group of related silicate minerals rather than a single composition. Its familiar many-faced crystals belong to the cubic system, and different members of the group can show very different colours. Where Spessartine is recorded, the identification refers to the manganese-aluminium member. The supplied species name for this individual listing is retained rather than inferred from colour alone.

The geometry of Garnet is particularly rewarding to study in a matrix specimen. Distinct faces catch separate reflections, allowing the outline of each crystal to stand out against the surrounding material. Smaller crystals and partly embedded growth can contribute to the arrangement too. Both the exposed crystal forms and the contrast with any recorded association are important to the piece’s individual character.

The recorded origin is Tongbei, Yunxiao County, Fujian, China. Within a collection of Garnet specimens, this locality gives the piece a geographical identity alongside its particular crystal habit and natural setting.

The specimen measures 60 × 50 × 25 mm, with a recorded weight of 68 g. Its compact presentation makes it suitable for a boxed mineral collection, where the individual crystals and their association can be appreciated at close range.

Support the stable matrix or the supplied mount when moving the specimen, avoiding pressure on projecting growth. A secure indoor display allows its natural form and surface detail to be appreciated while protecting exposed crystal edges.