A killer of Piedmont style Garnet on Clinochlore. Perfect, well-formed and well-exposed Grossular crystals up to 1.2 CM. contrast with blue green matrix. Fine condition Italian specimens with such large size crystals from the high elevation Rodingite zones are prized by collectors the world over. These rank as some of the world’s best for the specie. This piece has several Garnets in an epitaxial cluster but also has perfectly isolated crystals as well. The bright luster makes this hard to photograph but in person it is very impressive and eye-catching.
Grossular var. Hessonite (classic locale)
stock #21.1-198
Ala Valley, Lanzo Valley, Turin
Piedmont,
Italy
5.8 x 3.4 x 1.3 CM (cabinet)
price: $650
Early summer 2021
A plate of highly lustrous Garnets from the famed Ala Valley. The color and transparency of these Grossular is outstanding. There are several larger, more isolated crystals that are set in a matrix of much smaller Grossular. The larger crystals reach 1 CM and glow a vivid red when backlit. In normal lighting the color is darker red as seen in the photos. This is a particularly rich piece with a fine color and dense coverage of bright sparkling Garnet. Overall in very good condition, some rough spots are seen with magnification but these are very minor and almost invisible in the context of the piece. Far better than average esthetics and visual impact from the Piedmont region.
