Axinite-(Fe)

This specimen features razor-sharp axinite-(Fe) crystals from the renowned New Melones Dam locality in Calaveras County, California. Lustrous, glassy, and translucent, the flattened axinite crystals rest elegantly on a matrix that includes rare light-green, elongated fibrous byssolite tufts at the base, adding an intriguing accessory feature. The primary crystal, approximately 1.8 cm in size, is gemmy with highly reflective faces and sharp edges, and the largest crystal is in excellent condition with only minor chipping.

Discovered in 1981 during the construction of a spillway at the dam, this locality produced some of the finest axinite-(Fe) specimens ever found. The clove-brown ferroaxinite crystals from veins high on the spillway cut are considered among the best in the world.

For further information on this remarkable locality, see The Mineralogical Record, Vol. 13, No. 5, pages 293–302.