Private Collection

Round Mountain lies in Nye County, Nevada, within the Toquima Range, and ranks among the state's significant gold districts. The deposit formed in an epithermal system hosted by volcanic rock, where hot, mineral rich waters moved through fractures close to the surface. As these fluids cooled and their chemistry shifted, quartz crystallized in open spaces and native gold precipitated alongside it, sometimes in delicate branching growth.

This 95 gram specimen shows that branching habit at its most graceful. Slender gold arms rise from the quartz and sweep in a single direction, giving the piece the look of a tree bent by constant wind. The gold keeps its bright metallic luster against pale quartz, and the open, three dimensional structure makes it a fine example of dendritic native gold.