Gahnite

A rarely seen matrix Gahnite (a zinc-bearing member of the Spinel Group) from Stratford in Alleghany County which was collected circa 1950s-1960s and comes from the collection of noted Italian author and mineral collector, Francesco Bedogné (#150). I've only seen one other specimen of this material, and this particular piece is bigger, with a better crystal on it.

It features a sharp, well-formed, very lustrous, slightly gemmy / translucent deep blue-green colored octahedron measuring 1.1 cm across sitting beautifully on the underlying Quartz matrix. The crystal is complete most of the way around, but it's the fact that it is so sharp and lustrous that really makes a difference here. If you collect minerals of the United States or specifically from North Carolina, don't miss out on this one.

Ex. Francesco Bedogne collection

Specimen # WWMIX101818