Grossular (SIL-30)

specimen number:
9273047

location:
Rinconada Mine, Las Minas, Veracruz, Mexico

description:
Gorgeous yellow green lustrous slightly translucent crystals of grossular measuring to 2.5 cm are in size across the top of matrix. In great condition. The color on this is wonderful. This is an outstanding cabinet display piece for the species and locality.

The Rinconada mine is located within the historic Las Minas municipality in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, an area highly regarded by mineral collectors for its exceptional skarn-hosted specimens. Geologically, the locality features a classic calc-silicate skarn system formed by the intrusion of tertiary granitic and dioritic plutons into Cretaceous limestone layers, resulting in complex contact metamorphism rich in actinolite, andradite-grossular garnet, and prized pockets of amethyst quartz. Small-scale mining and prospecting for gold, copper, and iron in this region date back to the colonial era and continued intermittently through the nineteenth century. While large-scale industrial operations at the specific Rinconada claim remained relatively limited compared to Mexico's massive silver districts, the mine saw focused exploration and localized surface-to-shallow underground extraction periods primarily spanning from the late 1800s through the mid-twentieth century, eventually transitioning into a famous locality sought out almost exclusively by mineral collectors for its well-crystallized mineral specimens.

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