Andradite Var. Demantoid Garnet With Stilbite

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This elegant cluster of glassy and gemmy, richly green demantoid garnets is unusual in its great presentation of the crystals, and in the fact that the white material highlighting and separating them is STILBITE. This is a very rare occurrance at this locality (and to my knowledge unique, in fact). I have only 3 specimens in this lot with stilbite crystals, of which this is one. The crystals are all perched on metasomatized (metamorphosed from limestone) garnet matrix. The largest garnet measures 1.5 cm in length. And, the crystals are GEMMY AND TRANSPARENT like jewels, of really top quality. Then, after the garnets were formed, came the secondary growth of white finely-crystallized stilbite, wreathing the garnets so nicely. This is not a large specimen but its aesthetics make it compelling and gram for gram, one of the finest in the lot here!