Watch a video of this specimen by following the Vimeo link below: https://vimeo.com/934532063 I recently got acquainted with what is probably the most comprehensive collection of Kayes region skarn minerals, patiently gathered by a knowledgeable geologist and collector over more than 10 years directly on the field in this remote region of Mali: what a blast I had! The variety and quality of the Kayes minerals is much wider than I expected, with individual discoveries actually meeting the highest standards for garnet, vesuvianite or prehnite. In particular, the colour palette and facies diversity for andradite garnet simply ranks the Kayes skarns among the very best localities for the species on Earth. It is however quite hard and time-consuming to find quality specimens: after reaching Kayes from wherever you would stay, it does take a half day 4x4 truck ride on trails to make it to the villages where local miners and farmers live. Then several days on-site are needed, time for the field collectors from all neighbouring settlements to converge. Unfortunately, the skarn deposits artisanally mined there are thankless: most crystals are strongly oxidized or extracted in a poor condition due to the lack of free space for crystal growth and the mining methods used. Colorful, lustrous crystals are rare and fine garnets are often broken to reveal any gem core that could be valuable for the cut stone market. Actually, most of the time, a buyer would probably leave without any good rock. Then, repeat this procedure several times a year over a large number of years and you could possibly end up with fine Kayes mineral specimens! This is why I am thrilled to share with you the result of a careful and short selection among hundreds of collection pieces from Kayes I was lucky to search through. Here you have a superb yellow-green andradite! Here is a both aesthetically and technically interesting specimen displaying a fine quality andradite garnet crystal (3.0 cm large) of golden brown colour with green glints, nested on top of a micaceous white chlorite matrix. Notice the bright yellow-green vesuvianite crystals that are scattered over some faces of the garnet and sometimes even within the crystal: actually we can witness here an incipient reactional texture between andradite and vesuvianite, with vesuvianite pseudomorphing parts of the garnet! This replacement-pseudomorphic relationship is quite rare in nature and is mainly reported from rodingite settings, although it can also occur in skarn deposits like Kayes. This distinctive facies and combination was found in a single discovery of truly exceptional quality. An excellent golden brown garnet specimen with a touch of technicity!