Brazil073 - Spessartine - Navegadora Mine, Penha do Norte, Conselheiro Pena, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Superb deep red gem crystal of spessartine from the Navegadora Mine. These crystals were found in 2003 and 2004 and have a terrific etched morphology. Please note that the photos are not backlit; the crystal is that gemmy! 2.9 x 2.1 x 1.2 cm.

For an interesting analysis of the formation of these crystals, please see an article by David London on the Mineralogical Society of America website.