Some of the best buys of facetable gem rough are to be found at the annual Tucson mineral shows. I always make a point to scour those shows for hidden treasures. This year, 2004, the theme of the Tucson Club show was Chinese minerals. Because of that, there was an abundance of fine minerals from China offered for sale at several different shows. Although I couldn't find any facet-grade garnet from China, I did manage to obtain two gorgeous specimens of garnet and smoky quartz from the Yunxiao mine, Fujian Province, China. I didn't intend to purchase this specimen, but I came across a very motivated dealer/seller with some great specimens. The specimen shown above was just too good to pass up. The garnets are large (compared to other specimens from the same area), the smoky quartz crystals are large and in good condition (the blue arrows note two of the largest smoky quartz crystals). The aesthetics of this piece are outstanding. A closeup image of one section shows the perfection of the garnets in greater detail. A second perspective of the same specimen is shown here. (#M385 is offered for $95.00) Click here if you would like to see a short video of this specimen. Back