Grossular

specimen number:
1052637

location:
Testa Ciarva, Mussa Alp, Balme, Piedmont, Italy

description:
Classic Italian specimen with beautiful gemmy crystals of grossular to 0.5 cm in size across the front of matrix. This is in good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video within the original acquisition date of 1910.

The locality of Testa Ciarva is situated within the Ala Valley of the Piedmont region in Italy and is world-famous for its exceptional specimens of the calcium-aluminum garnet known as grossular. Geologically, the site is part of the Piedmont-Ligurian ophiolite sequence, specifically occurring in rodingite dikes that have undergone metasomatism within serpentinite host rocks. This unique geochemical environment allowed for the crystallization of vibrant orange to cinnamon-colored grossular, traditionally referred to as hessonite, often associated with clinochlore and diopside. Historically, the extraction of these minerals was never a large-scale industrial mining operation but rather a series of small-scale quarrying efforts and specimen mining by local alpine collectors known as cristalliers. Significant mineralogical interest and active collecting at Testa Ciarva date back to the early 19th century, with peak activity occurring throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s as the site gained international recognition in mineralogical literature.

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