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Description
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Howardite cab ~
Offered here is an amazing cabochon of howardite (an unsual and rare form of opalized-silicated tuff), from northern Nevada. According to the miner, this material is all long out of the ground now, and what little there is left to be had comes at a very high premium. Sometimes called 'rattlesnake stone', it has delightful coloration and figure, reminding me of crazy venetian blinds or zippers, oddly enough. The darkest and lavender areas you see in the pic are actually highly translucent ribbons, some of which contain tiny drusy pockets, giving the stone a nice quality of depth. The backlit photo really shows what this one's all about. The cab has a well rounded dome of 6mm, and a crisp shape that's nicely polished both front and back.
Size: 42x23mm
Weight: approximately 27 carats
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Current gemstone offerings
 Howardite
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