Spessartine Garnet Fine Mineral For Sale

Spessartine Garnet (China)

Regular price $550.00
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SPESSARTINE GARNET
Wushan Spessartine Mine
Tongbei, Yunxiao Co.
Fujian Province, China

2 x 1.5 x 2 Inches
5 x 3.5 x 5.5 Centimeters
Cabinet

A small specimen of very densely packed spessartine garnets that grabs your attention with their gemmy sparkles - There is hundreds if not thousands of bright orange crystal faces that dance in the light when you "rock" the piece in your hand. The Wushan mine is no longer operating and these specimens are considered Chinese classics!

Garnet is the name used for a large group of rock-forming minerals. These minerals share a common crystal structure and a generalized chemical composition of X3Y2(SiO4)3.

These minerals are found throughout the world in metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. Most garnet found near Earth's surface forms when a sedimentary rock with a high aluminum content, such as shale, is subjected to heat and pressure intense enough to produce schist or gneiss. Garnet is also found in the rocks of contact metamorphism, subsurface magma chambers, lava flows, deep-source volcanic eruptions, and the soils and sediments formed when garnet-bearing rocks are weathered and eroded.

The most commonly encountered minerals in the garnet group include almandine, pyrope, spessartine, andradite, grossular, and uvarovite. They all have a vitreous luster, a transparent-to-translucent diaphaneity, a brittle tenacity, and a lack of cleavage. They can be found as individual crystals, stream-worn pebbles, granular aggregates, and massive occurrences.

Calcium garnets typically form when argillaceous limestone is altered into marble by contact metamorphism along the edges of igneous intrusions. These are andradite, grossular, and uvarovite, the slightly softer, typically green garnets with a lower specific gravity. Two calcium garnets are highly regarded in the gem trade; they are tsavorite (a bright green grossular) and demantoid (a golden-green andradite).

Spessartine is an orange garnet found as crystals in granite pegmatites.

Credit: Geology.com
MINERALS:
We guarantee the mineral specimen you purchase will be the exact item you receive. It is important to us that you enjoy your mineral specimen as much as we enjoyed sourcing it for you. We use professional photography and video to show you every inch of the specimen using optimal lighting/setup conditions. If you want to view a specimen from a certain angle or lighting source we are happy to provide more images/videos at your request.

Minerals over $1,000 include a certificate of authenticity from Invenio Fine Minerals. We only issue a certificate of authenticity for minerals we sell.

Measurement Descriptions:
Thumbnail: 0.2 to 3 Centimeters / .0625 - 1.118 Inches
Miniature: 3+ to 5 Centimeters / 1.125 - 1.96 Inches
Cabinet: 5+ to 9.5 Centimeters / 2.0 - 3.7 Inches
Large Cabinet: Greater than 10 Centimeters / Greater than 4 Inches

Minerals pictured attached to an acrylic base will be delivered attached to the base. We can unmount the specimen for you if you prefer.
We offer basic and custom mineral mounting services, contact us for more info.

PURCHASING:
We use Shopify for our online checkout system, Invenio Fine Minerals does not store your personal or banking information outside of the Shopify system. All of our transactions are secure through the Shopify system, if you have any questions please contact us.

We offer a 14 day return period on mineral specimens - Specimens must be returned in the original packaging and arrive back to us damage free - Customer pays return shipping - No exceptions!

There are no returns for printed artwork.


SHIPPING:
We use premium packaging materials to protect mineral specimens, every order is carefully packaged and thoughtfully protected. 

Shipping in the United States:
Free shipping in the United States on mineral specimens.

Tracking is included on every purchase
Insurance is optional over $100, please read below


Worldwide Shipping:
$55 flat for all international orders* 
*Certain restrictions and additional charges may apply depending on buyers location*

We only ship orders to the UK and EU with a value over $200 USD

We ship international with USPS Priority Mail - Tracking is included.

Invenio Fine Minerals does not charge VAT or import fees on international orders

Buyer is responsible for all import taxes and fees.

Insurance is not included on international orders.

US Shipping Insurance:
Insurance is not included on all mineral specimen orders. We insure packages on a case-by-case basis, if you would like to insure your package please contact us.

Damage or Loss:
If your mineral specimen is damaged or lost during shipment we will work with you to compensate you for the issue. 

Insurance is included on artwork orders up to $100 - Additional insurance can be purchased for orders over $100. If your print is damaged during shipment we must be notified within 24 hours - Please include pictures of the damaged packaging. We are not responsible for artwork damaged during the unpacking process - Please use great caution when handling your artwork!

If your mineral specimen package arrives damaged please keep ALL of the original packaging as it may be required by the shipping service for an insurance review. Contact us immediately with any issues.

Please unpack your mineral/s with care, we are not responsible for damage during unpacking.