Garnet var. Grossular, Sierra de las Cruces, Sierra Mojada Munic., Coahuila, Mexico

A striking, lustrous, translucent raspberry pink Grossular garnet from the classic finds at Sierra de Cruces, a well-known and coveted locality. This is a compound crystal, comprised of several intergrown dodecahedrons. What I especially like about this is that it is a matrix piece: so many remaining in the dwindling market are floaters. Several microcrystals of garnet in the matrix take on a more orange hue, hinting at some compositional variation. The matrix also contains calcite which fluoresces creamsickle-orange, a nice compliment to the weakly fluorescent grossular. This TN really “pops!”  Overall dimensions are 25 x 15 x 11 mm. The primary crystal measures 11 x 10 x 10 mm. REF: PAL-NC-SW-Gar1. Mounted in a clear acrylic Perky box.