Aquamarine (GEM quality crystal) with Albite on Quartz

Item Description

When it comes to Aquamarine, Pakistan is the most productive country for specimens in the modern age of mineral collecting. Some of the very finest quality Aquamarine specimens come from the various pegmatites in the Pakistani Himalayas, especially the pieces from around Shigar. This area has produced some of the most exciting Aquamarine specimens in recent years. This specimen features a superb quality, very sharp, highly lustrous, GEM quality / WATER CLEAR gentle blue color prismatic crystal of Aquamarine measuring 5.3 cm associated with snow white, blocky crystals of Albite sitting slightly grey colored Quartz matrix, along with minor black Schorl on the back. The terminations of the Aquamarine has some beautiful first and second order pyramidal modifications, which have a notable matte luster that plays well against the brilliant luster of the prism faces and basal termination. The top portion of the Aqua is so transparent that you can view directly through the pincacoid into the center of the crystal, and we've tried to illustrate this in the final photo. The piece is in excellent shape overall, with only minor roughness near the base. A very attractive gem crystal specimen from this most prestigious of Pakistani pegmatite localities. Priced in the inventory at $4,500.