Gold "The Dragon“ (1154)

Brazil

LOCATION

Serra de Caldeirao, Pontese Lacerda, Mato Grosso State, Brazil

SIZE

40 x 37 x 16 mm

DESCRIPTION

This was the most amazing Gold-discovery since the Alaska Gold-rush more than 100 years ago. Local field collectors discovered these clusters in the mud - imagine: Gold clusters with a few gramms weight up 100 gramms weight just laying in the dirt, everyone only need to pick it up. The Brazil government needed the military to safe the the situation there. Every gangster from Rio to Sao Paulo must have been there, people were shot for Gold - but not in the 18th century in the Wild West, only 3-4 years ago. 

I had the opportunity to see lot of these specimen - overall; they are all beautiful, colorful and with amazing crystals. But this one was only one I saw out of hundreds that was so figural. When my employee saw it her first intention - within seconds - was: oh; a dragon. When my mum visited me in office, she saw it - her first words: how amazing - it´s a dragon. When a friend visited me - and he really no glue about mineralogy - he saw it and within a heart-beat I heard the same words: wow - looks like one of these Chinese dragons. So no matter in which angle you look at it, no matter if you see front - or same attractive reverse; and even without any phantasy: this is a dragon!

I saw lot of aesthetic specimen from the locality - but all of them exchange-able. This was the only piece that really caught my attention. 

It consists of uncountable spinel-law twinned crystals, they color is magnificent and the luster is as good as it ever could be. Most specimen were smaller or - if they had compare-able size - they were thin and much more fragile. For example: i had a 3,5 cm specimen with 7 gramm weight. A dealer-friend had a 4cm specimen which was on 4 gramm only. So maybe the volume is one reason that makes this particular specimen so tri-dimensional - it is thick - 16mm from front to backside and has a weight of 44 gramm !!!

So if you ever want to add a Gold to your collection please compare: Eagles Nest is the most common and although most pieces look nice; their crystals are not well shaped, they are thin (I have a 8cm specimen, which is on 28 gramm including Quartz matrix) and even this prominent Californian loaclity, which produced ten-thousands of specimen never produced something crazy like this. Figural assemble are one of the most appreciated things on the market and I have to say also in my personal evaluation - they are the most amazing things in the world of mineralogy. 

So California is famous for Gold - but neither habit, crystalisation or color are on the same level as this stuff from Brazil - and from all material I saw from the locality this was the best.

PRICE

SOLD