Emerald in Matrix with Fluor-Dravite, Fluorite, and Xenotime, Crabtree Mine, Spruce Pine, Mitchell County, North Carolina, USA
This quintessential Crabtree Mine thumbnail/ miniature is richly endowed with green emerald in a matrix of quartz, accompanied by Fluor-Dravite and minor Fluorite and Xenotime. This is a highly representative example from this well-known locale, one of the only commercially producing emerald mines in the United States, now open only for collecting in the dumps. It is very unusual to find any Crabtree emeralds in matrix, let alone with these known associations, as they are highly sought after by collectors, and most specimens found today are cut into cabochons.
