Glassy, transparent, richly colored garnet crystals to 1.5 cm make this a beautiful plate from the classic, now closed locale. The specimen literally formed as a "plate," coating a wall in situ. So it is minutely crystallized around the back, though it looks flat there. The brightness of the piece, and the size of the garnets, give it a good impact in a case. From an old French Canadian collection, being sold off at Tucson 2011. Joe Budd photos