Aquamarine (Cat's Eye) (large stone)

Item Description

Here's something that one does not often see in Beryl. Beryls are loved by collectors and dealers for the wide range of colors, larger size stones and amazingly clean material. One of the most unusual occurences in Beryl gems is the "cat's eye" effect. This is seen in gems such as Tourmaline, Sillimanite and Chrysoberyl, but you don't see many Beryls of any variety that show the effect. Cat's Eye stones are created by orienting the gem rough perpendicular to the tiny fibrous inclusions inside which in turn reflect the light causing an "eye" to appear. This particular stone is a large, very attractive "oval cabochon" cut Aquamarine Cat's Eye gem from Madagascar. The color is a silvery-blue, when viewed under a concentrated light source, a distinct thin "eye" can be seen running across the length of the stone. It's not easy to find a good Cat's Eye Aquas these days, let alone a stone that weighs nearly 50 carats! The stone is priced at $4,862 retail for the size, quality and the fact that gems like this from Madagascar are nearly impossible to find.  PLEASE NOTE:  This stone looks MORE BLUE in the photo / video than it does in person.  It has more of a silvery overtone that does not come through in the photos.