Crystallized Sponge Gold on quartz
El Dorado County, California
This highly aesthetic gold specimen features complex crystallization called sponge gold. Its surface gold has crystallized into thousands of micro crystals giving it a sponge-like appearance. The gold is completely surrounding the quartz matrix with its buttery yellow saturation providing incredible contrast to the white quartz. The gold exhibits many robust overlapping native gold clusters with some short leafy crystals still attached to the sponge gold. The surface of the native gold is a very rich and fairly high in purity with very high luster in some areas. This sponge gold is very displayable due to its large size and beautiful aesthetics of native gold crystals on every side on its matrix. The gold specimen is a rare and prime example for its locality.
24 x 20 x18 mm
9.45 grams
#272