Pyrite with Quartz

specimen number:
2062780

location:
Spruce Claim, King Co., Washington, USA

description:
Good combination piece for this famous locality. A cluster of glassy gem colorless quartz crystals, the largest measuring to 3.2 cm in height, coming off of a thin matrix and hosting a lustrous sharp crystal of pyrite 2.5 cm across. This is in good condition all around. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The geology of the Spruce Claim on Spruce Ridge in King County, Washington, is defined by the Snoqualmie Batholith, where late Oligocene to early Miocene magmatic activity and subsequent uplift of the Cascade Volcanic Arc exposed plutonic host rocks. Mineralization occurs primarily within rugged breccia zones and vugs where hydrothermal solutions deposited aesthetic specimens, most notably brilliant metallic crystals nested among slender transparent quartz points. Unlike commercial ore bodies, the site has no history of metal production; instead, it is a renowned recreational and private specimen-collecting locality. Since its popularization among field collectors in the late 1970s, it has been actively worked by enthusiasts and private clubs to recover world-class mineral display pieces.

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