Native Gold in Quartz - McLaughlin Mine, California 4.67 grams

Look closely at this 4.67-gram cabochon and you'll see why collectors chase McLaughlin gold: fine, branching threads of native gold suspended in clear white quartz like frost on a window.

The gold is elemental and natural, cut from rough taken out of California's McLaughlin Mine in the 1980s and preserved by the site geologist from his own study samples. It crystallized in a hydrothermal vein in arborescent (tree-like) form, set against dark mudstone in a flow-breccia zone rich with mixed minerals. Under longwave UV, portions of this material can fluoresce a vivid yellow to green.

Mineral: Native (elemental) gold in quartz with mudstone
Locality: McLaughlin Mine, California, USA
Color: Bright gold in white quartz with black mudstone
Formation: Arborescent/dendritic gold in a hydrothermal vein deposit

This is the exact 4.67-gram piece shown — a true one-of-a-kind.