Chinese Spessartine!
Over the last few years (since the very late 1990's), the
market has seen some truly outstanding Spessartine Garnet specimens coming from
China. I want to stress that finely crystallized Spessartines are rare from any
locality, and there have truly only been two localities in the past 40 years
that have produced collector quality Spessartine Garnet specimens of any
significance. These localities are the Ramona area of San Diego County,
California and the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Keep in mind that the large
percentage of contemporary Brazilian Spessartines are off matrix, crudely
crystallized, highly etched and do not have top rich orange color and the
classic old Spessartines from Elba, Italy are virtually impossible to obtain,
and most specimens feature relatively small crystals (only a few mm). Garnets in
general, are very difficult to find in finely crystallized matrix specimens with
top color, luster, sharpness and displayability. For such a broad and well known
group of species, Garnets for the most part are quite elusive when it comes to
top shelf, competition quality pieces.
The bottom line is that these specimens are sensational quality and you cannot
find better Spessartines crystals on matrix with such rich orange color from any
other contemporary locality. These new Chinese Spessartines for intents and
purposes are truly some of the most exemplary pieces found. Most specimens
feature textbook crystallization with mirror bright faces, water-clear clarity
and rich, vivid colors. Most of the these pieces show rich orange hues, showing
that there is an absence of Iron content in the crystals, meaning that these are
nearly pure Manganese rich Spessartine Garnet crystals. Furthermore, it must be
noted that these specimens show tremendous associations, whether it be with
light colored, (almost "Alpine" quality) Smoky Quartz crystals, or dark (almost
black) "morion" Smoky Quartz crystals creating a very distinct color contrast,
especially when set against the lighter Orthoclase matrix and accented by the
light green Muscovite crystals. These pieces are also rising in price across the
board as the savvy Chinese dealers have become aware of their value, so the days
of buying good Spessartines cheap seem to be gone. That combined with the fact
that the locality has been producing less and less material over the last few
years leads one to believe that these amazing Garnets may soon be a thing of the
past. No collection is complete without one of these first-class Spessartines.
Lastly, as per usual for most of the contemporary Chinese localities, the vast
majority of the material found is truly sub par quality, and it takes great
patience and a trained eye to select the top pieces out of so many available.
The following specimens represent a cull out of literally thousands of pieces
over a few years to bring you this unique mix (no two pieces are exactly alike)
showing the wide variety of associations from different pockets.
Enjoy !!
No. SpessCh11064
Spessartine with Smoky Quartz on Orthoclase -
$450
Truly the main focus of these new specimens from China is placed upon the
quality and color of the Spessartines, but this piece is special for another
reason. This specimen features a pair superb, razor sharp, highly lustrous, gem
quality prismatic Smoky Quartz crystals aesthetically flaring out of a white
Orthoclase matrix and is associated with several attractive, sparkling, bright
orange color trapezohedra of Spessartine. The Smoky Quartz crystals have a top
"wet" luster and are so nicely accented by the little Spessartine crystals. This
piece has some of the finest aesthetics of any piece I've seen from the
locality.
Locality: Tongbei, Yunxiao (Yunling), Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province,
China
Specimen Size: 8.0 x 4.7 x 4.3 cm.
Largest Smoky Quartz Crystal: 5.8 cm.
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No. SpessCh11065
Spessartine with Muscovite on Orthoclase -
$975
This is one of the finest specimens I've seen from this locality with regard to
crystal quality, balance and showiness. This is definitely one of the biggest
and most impressive display specimens you'll see from this locality as well. The
majority of the Spessartines from this area typically feature crystals which are
intergrown, rarely giving one the opportunity to examine individual crystals.
This piece shows a great balance between intergrown and isolated Spessartine
crystals which show textbook trapezohedral form with dodecahedral modifications.
Another great aspect of the specimen is the fact that is has no "bare spots" of
coverage and will display wonderfully. The crystals are associated with small
greenish colored hexagonal Muscovite blades on tan Orthoclase matrix. Virtually
all of the Spessartines are extremely glassy with a rich orange color and superb
gemminess. Some of the crystals are so gemmy that you can see right through them
to the matrix. The sheer visceral appeal of the specimen makes this one of the
most impressive and very attractive showpieces of this amazing material.
Locality: Tongbei, Yunxiao (Yunling), Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province,
China
Specimen Size: 15.7 x 6.6 x 2.7 cm.
Largest Crystal: 0.6 cm.
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To order this specimen click
here
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No. SpessCh11067
Spessartine with Smoky Quartz on Orthoclase -
$225
Here we have a very attractive and highly displayable specimen of this amazing
material. The majority of the Spessartines from this area typically feature
crystals which are intergrown, rarely giving one the opportunity to examine
individual crystals. This piece has some great isolation between the Spessartine
crystals which show textbook trapezohedral form with dodecahedral modifications.
The crystals are all extremely glassy and sharp with a rich orange color and
superb gemminess. Some of the crystals are so gemmy that you can see right
through them to the matrix. To top if off, the Spessartines are associated with
superb quality, absolutely water-clear, sharp, lustrous Smoky Quartz crystals
and white blocky Orthoclase crystals. I really like how all the crystals are
equally sized against one another giving a very pleasing look and tremendous
balance. For the size, quality and beautiful color contrast, you can't go wrong
with this little gem.
Locality: Tongbei, Yunxiao (Yunling), Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province,
China
Specimen Size: 6.5 x 4.0 x 2.3 cm.
Largest Crystal: 0.5 cm.
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No. SpessCh110611
Spessartine with Smoky Quartz on Orthoclase -
$450
This piece packs a LOT of color featuring some truly gorgeous Spessartine
crystals. This specimen is loaded with dozens upon dozens of amazingly sharp,
highly lustrous, gem quality, rich red-orange color Spessartine crystals showing
textbook trapezohedral form with distinct dodecahedral modifications. The
crystals are blanketing a matrix of tan Orthoclase crystals and give way to a
predominant, sharp, gemmy Smoky Quartz crystal flaring out of the center of the
specimen. Additionally, many of the Spessartine crystals are so gemmy that you
can see directly through them directly down to the matrix underneath. This piece
really delivers when it comes to top color, crystal size and pure visual affect.
Locality: Tongbei, Yunxiao (Yunling), Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province,
China
Specimen Size: 8.3 x 6.0 x 4.5 cm.
Largest Crystal: 0.6 cm.
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here
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No. SpessCh110612
Spessartine with Smoky Quartz on Orthoclase -
$450
This piece really has it all ! When it comes to aesthetics, this has to be the
most impressive piece in the lot. Out of literally thousands of these specimens,
I've never seen another like it. The specimen is comprised of an amazingly
characteristic "snowball"-shaped aggregate of white blocky Orthoclase crystals
with a smattering of rich red, sharp, lustrous, gemmy Spessartine crystals
accented by SUPERB, gem quality, razor sharp, prismatic Smoky Quartz crystals
bursting forth from the top of the specimen. I have to stress that the quality
of the Smokies is as fine as many Alpine Quartz crystals I've seen from
Switzerland and Austria ! To top it off, the Smoky Quartz crystals actually have
a few small, gemmy, red Spessartine crystals which are completely frozen inside
and can clearly be seen with backlighting. All in all, you'd be hard pressed to
find this specimen's equal from the standpoint of sheer artistic beauty and
superior quality. It is ostensibly one of the most showy and eye-catching
Spessartine/Smoky Quartz specimens you'll see from China or virtually any other
locality.
Locality: Tongbei, Yunxiao (Yunling), Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province,
China
Specimen Size: 7.3 x 6.2 x 2.6 cm.
Largest Smoky Quartz: 2.9 cm.
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To order this specimen click
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