Native Gold with Pyrite Cubes on Quartz and Serpentine Matrix
Placerville, El Dorado County, California
 
This rare gold specimen displays cubed pyrite crystals with native gold surrounding it. The gold runs through the pyrite and the largest cube pyrite crystal is about 8 mm. The gold crystals are bright and very leaf like with some areas forming clusters of crystalline gold. The clusters of native gold are seen on all sides of the specimen and connected together forming a solid gold specimen. The darker green mineral is believed to be serpentine forming veins throughout the white quartz. On the very top section of the specimen a perfect pyrite cube measuring about 4 mm is surrounded with buttery yellow native gold. These two minerals forming together is a very rare formation for a gold specimen and it makes it rarer because of its locality.
 
30 x 23 x 13 mm
21 grams
#150