Demantoid garnet, Asbestos

Malenco Valley, Sondrio Province, Lombardy, Italy

7x6x1,1 cm. (main garnet 0,8×0,7×0,6 cm.)

Demantoid is the most spectacular and sought-after mineral of Val Malenco. The most beautiful crystals have been found included in asbestos or implanted in the serpentine; this piece is composed by a plate of asbestos where a series of green and lustrous garnet crystals are aesthetically placed on the top.