Detailed information
Species
Native Gold
Dimensions
53 x 59 x 21
mm
Weight
61 g
Locality
Olinghouse District Pah Rah Range Washoe Co., Nevada, USA
Condition
Net
This very large miniature Native Gold specimen from the famous Olinghouse District in Nevada, USA is a classic but with a twist. Discovered during the late 1990s in openpit operations within the Olinghouse District the stunning meshed aggregates of wire Native Gold crystals were prepared from their matrix using acid etching but the results are spectacular. This complex and intense webbed type of Native Gold is demonstrated very well at on end of this specimen, but towards the other is the twist. Here, the Native Gold forms prominent patches of leaf Native Gold, something quite rare at Olinghouse District. The largest 'leaf' reaches 8 mm across, and so is quite substantial. Careful inspection of the Native Gold reveals that it is all crystallized - the 'leaf' Native Gold displays straight edges and the wires are complex elongated (probably spinel-twinned) crystals. Most of the famous Olinghouse District Native Golds were collected between the late 1990s and earliest years of the 2000s and so the chances of more turning up are remote. A relatively modern American classic. Ex Siber and Siber collection.
