Spinel - Spinel Law Twin Display
Based on a specimen from Luc Yen Mine, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam.
I love the idea of displaying a mineral inside a box or case that’s a matching crystal model. It seems like a perfect way to show off a specimen with particularly good form, and present an impressive or surprising specimen in a unique way. This twinned spinel specimen isn’t perfectly smooth or gemmy like some smaller crystals in my collection, but its large size made it the perfect candidate for a custom display.
The model illustrates a relatively common kind of twinning. The spinel twin law is named for its appearance in the mineral spinel, but the same twin law also occurs in other minerals like diamond, galena, and fluorite. The crystals in this model are octahedra, but when the twinned crystals are a little more complex spinel twins can appear in a variety of interesting ways. I’m already planning more models of other spinel twins in my collection!
If you like the idea of a specimen displayed inside a matching crystal model, be sure to look at this fancier one (link to come) of a synthetic quartz crystal.
For two other items that are more than just crystal models, see my achtaragdite handbag here and my topaz hat here
Model details: 6" high. Chechan and spalted maple.
Specimen details: Spinel twinned spinel crystals. Luc Yen Mine, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam. 4.5 cm.