Lepidolite

specimen number:
1052709

location:
Little Three Mine, San Diego Co., California, USA

description:
A fine grouping of thick lepidolite crystals without matrix. Not absolutely perfect, but still in good condition and quite nice for the species. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The specimen was originally acquired through American dealer Lazard Cahn in 1908.

The Little Three mine, situated near the historic mountain town of Ramona in San Diego County, California, is a world-class pegmatite locality celebrated for producing magnificent mineral specimens, including exceptional clusters of lilac-to-pink lepidolite, a lithium-rich mica. Geologically, this classic deposit is hosted within a series of highly differentiated, late-stage granitic pegmatite dikes belonging to the Peninsular Ranges Batholith, which intruded Paleozoic and Mesozoic-age metamorphic and igneous host rocks during the Cretaceous period. The slow crystallization of these volatile-rich residual magmas under low pressure allowed for extreme element concentration, resulting in complexly zoned pegmatites where massive lithium enrichment precipitated extensive pockets of pearly, fine-grained aggregates and well-formed blocky crystals of lepidolite, frequently found in close association with pink tourmaline, elbaite, cleavelandite, topaz, and spessartine garnet. Historically, organized surface mining and primitive trenching at the site began in May 1903 following the initial discovery of gemstone pockets by local prospectors, with early commercial operations focused heavily on extracting tourmaline and lepidolite for the thriving Chinese gemstone market. The property was acquired by the Louis B. Spaulding family in the mid-twentieth century and underwent a glorious renaissance of systematic underground shaft and open-cut mining from the 1950s through the late 1980s, producing legendary pocket discoveries like the New Spaulding Pocket in 1976.

Lazard Cahn (1865-1940) was a prominent American mineral dealer and self-taught crystallographer based in Colorado Springs who became one of the most respected figures in the field during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was widely recognized for his exceptional ability to identify rare species and for his meticulous study of crystal forms, eventually having the borate mineral cahnite named in his honor. Cahn operated a high-end mineral dealership that catered to major museums and elite private collectors, specializing in rare alpine minerals and classic American localities. His professional career was marked by significant contributions to mineralogical literature, including his work on the micromounting of specimens and his detailed descriptions of complex twinning laws.

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