Gold on Quartz
Badger Mine (Prescott Mine; Prescott Lode claim), Quartzburg, Hornitos Mining District, West Belt, Mariposa County, California
This exceptional gold specimen presents an eye-catching arrangement of bold, sharp crystals emerging elegantly from a cavity of quartz matrix. Broad, gleaming gold plates anchor the piece, while smaller, leaflike formations with stepped, hoppered details provide intricate contrast. In select pockets, later growth has created airy cavities lined with delicately textured, sponge-like native gold, enhancing the specimen’s overall complexity. The gold is notably heavy and richly colored, showing a consistent, vivid saturation that stands out beautifully against the piece’s strong visual contrast. The quartz transitions subtly into iron-oxide sulfides near the base, where natural flashes of embedded gold appear within the darker material. 
21 x 18 x 17 mm
3.36 grams