SOLD
T08-01
Spinel on Pyrrhotite
Kuch-i-Lal, Ishkashim District, Western Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan
Thumbnail, 2.2 x 1.6 x 1.2 cm
SOLD
A dramatic single 8 mm gem crystal atop a perch of massive pyrrhotite, makes for a killer thumbnail specimen from this new find. The crystal is actually a macle twin on clos einspection, I now realize! You can see this more clearly in person, as the twin plane is shallow. I had never seen spinel from here, nor spinel on pyrrhotite (or other sulfides) from anywhere. The contrast is striking and, luckily, the spinels are of gem quality so these are good specimens on their own and not just new "locality pieces." These gem crystals have a unique lavender hue that sets them apart from other spinels we have seen out of Mogok and Sri Lanka.