Spessartine and Schorl on Feldspar - image 1

Spessartine and Schorl on Feldspar - image 2

Spessartine and Schorl on Feldspar - image 3

Spessartine and Schorl on Feldspar - image 4

Spessartine and Schorl on Feldspar

Unknown Owner

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Little Three Mine Garnets are San Diego classics, and highly sought after. This fine specimen features a single, 1.8 cm Spessartine on a crystalline Feldspar matrix. The Spessartine is nearly complete all the way around, has very good luster, and a deep cinnamon color. Probably the most remarkable thing about the Spessartine is the minimal amount of etching, which helps maintain the luster and the form. With many Garnets from here being considerably etched, the condition of this specimen is rather exceptional. There are a few Schorl crystals that add to the mineralogical interest and aesthetic appeal. Originally in the private collection of Sol Shalevetz, this most likely dates to the Louis Spalding Sr. era of mining in the 1960s and early 1970s. #4863 in Kay's collection. Large, intact Spessartines of this size are VERY scarce on the market and even in the major collections in San Diego, where they are considered one of the top collectibles from the area. Note the old label calls this an Essonite, though they seem to all be spessartine in modern parlance.