Andalusite (GEMMY) (ex Richard A. Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

A wonderful old time specimen of Andalusite from Brazil with excellent internal gemminess. Typically, most Andalusite crystals are opaque, but this one is of a higher gem grade than most I've seen from Brazil. To be fair, the crystal is etched, but it still shows lustrous crystal faces on both sides. The transparency combined with the beautiful color makes for a very attractive thumbnail sized specimen. The color is mostly a yellow-green hue, but when it's rotated in the light, the piece does show a bit of weak pleochroism showing soft pink tones. This kind of color is what makes Andalusite so popular with gemstone collectors, as a well-cut stone will show both green and pink highlights face up. Specimen weight is 2.18 grams. From the collection of Richard A. Kosnar, well-known mineral dealer and the namesake for the phosphate species Kosnarite.