This specimen is from the finds of 2009 in Madagascar, from a dangerous, mangrove-covered deposit that floods for most of the day during the collecting season there. While many came out, briefly, we feel this deposit will be short lived. This is a stunning small minaiture or large thumbnail (a "toenail"), one that was held back until recently, by one of the sources. This piece features large, glassy and gemmy, grass-green demantoid crystals, measuring 1.75 cm in length, stacked together on a thin shard of matrix. This is a superb example for the size range, and features garnets of a quality that, if from the old classic locale in Italy, would be priced with another "zero" in the price. Such rich specimens were uncommon even in this find, as many as there were in the first traunches. Further production here declined in 2010 and I expect to continue at only a modest pace compared to the easier pickings of the first year. For more information, see our update from 2010, here: http://www.irocks.com/Demantoid_Garnet_Topazolite_Garnet_Madagascar_Garnet.html. Joe Budd photos

A rather fine garnet, from an unusual locality! We have seen small, unimportant crystals, and a few big isolated crystals, but this piece is the best I have yet seen from the mine. It features sharp crystals with good lustre, to 1 inch. They are isolated and contrasted on the matrix. From a small pocket found in late 2010. Joe Budd photos

Over 2 years of mining here, there was been only one pocket to my knowledge, showing any pieces with a rich calcite association. Presented here are several pieces from that pocket (found sometime in early 2010), which had been held back til now. No more has been found since, of this quality or style. Brilliantly lustrous crystals of the rare variety of garnet, topazolite, are starkly contrasted on this calcite matrix. The crystals reach 1.6 cm in size and they are like little jewels�incredibly bright and flashy, almost metallic in their reflections. They are razor sharp, very 3-dimensional compared to the usual more flat style found in the majority of topazolite garnets worldwide. The color varies in reflected light, but is basically an olive-green with slight tinges of yellows and other green hues. The piece is large, dramatic, and very flashy in person. Again, the garnets look almost metallic when you see them at first. Further production here declined in 2010 and I expect to continue at only a modest pace compared to the easier pickings of the first year. For more information and location photos, see our update from 2010, here: http://www.irocks.com/Demantoid_Garnet_Topazolite_Garnet_Madagascar_Garnet.html. Joe Budd photos

Over 2 years of mining here, there was been only one pocket to my knowledge, showing any pieces with a rich calcite association. Presented here are several pieces from that pocket (found sometime in early 2010), which had been held back til now. No more has been found since, of this quality or style. Brilliantly lustrous crystals of the rare variety of garnet, topazolite, are starkly contrasted on this calcite matrix. The crystals reach 1.3 cm in size and they are like little jewels�incredibly bright and flashy, almost metallic in their reflections. They are razor sharp, very 3-dimensional compared to the usual more flat style found in the majority of topazolite garnets worldwide. The color varies in reflected light, but is basically an olive-green with slight tinges of yellows and other green hues. The piece is large, dramatic, and very flashy in person. Again, the garnets look almost metallic when you see them at first. This piece is the richest of the calcites in the lot, to my knowledge. Further production here declined in 2010 and I expect to continue at only a modest pace compared to the easier pickings of the first year. For more information and location photos, see our update from 2010, here: http://www.irocks.com/Demantoid_Garnet_Topazolite_Garnet_Madagascar_Garnet.html. Joe Budd photos

Over 2 years of mining here, there was been only one pocket to my knowledge, showing any pieces with a rich calcite association. Presented here are several pieces from that pocket (found sometime in early 2010), which had been held back til now. No more has been found since, of this quality or style. Brilliantly lustrous crystals of the rare variety of garnet, topazolite, are starkly contrasted on this calcite matrix. The crystals reach 1.7 cm in size and they are like little jewels�incredibly bright and flashy, almost metallic in their reflections. They are razor sharp, very 3-dimensional compared to the usual more flat style found in the majority of topazolite garnets worldwide. The color varies in reflected light, but is basically an olive-green with slight tinges of yellows and other green hues. The piece is large, dramatic, and very flashy in person - the finest example in this lot of specimens I locked down just after Tucson (and so they have not been seen until now). Again, the garnets look almost metallic when you see them at first. Further production here declined in 2010 and I expect to continue at only a modest pace compared to the easier pickings of the first year. For more information and location photos, see our update from 2010, here: http://www.irocks.com/Demantoid_Garnet_Topazolite_Garnet_Madagascar_Garnet.html. Joe Budd photos

This extremley rare large plate has has at least 100 crystals, many exceeding 1 cm. This is flashy and bright, with incredible coverage . Out of the whole find, perhaps under a dozen specimens had so many crystals on one plate, I have been told by my own sources who are close to the material; and have seen nearly all that came out. This plate has the deepest green color for the find, with no tinge of the brown hue that infinges on the quality of some demantoids from here (those that do not cross over to the "topazolite" variety of garnet, anyhow). The matrix is heavier than you might expect because it too, is garnet - altered in a rare event called metasomatism where the limestone host rock was replaced by garnet in microscale. This is a dramatic example for the size range, and features garnets of a quality that, if from the old classic locale in Italy, would absolutely be priced with another "zero" in the price. Such rich specimens were uncommon even in this find, as many as there were in the first traunches found. The locality is downright dangerous, and collecting is under appalling conditions. Needlesss to say, the recovery of fine larger pieces is all the more difficult here. Further production here declined in 2010 and I expect to continue at only a modest pace compared to the easier pickings of the first year. For more information and location photos, see our update from 2010, here: http://www.irocks.com/Demantoid_Garnet_Topazolite_Garnet_Madagascar_Garnet.html. Joe Budd photos