Aquamarine with Albite and Schorl

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. This piece hosts a 6.2 cm predominant, STOUT, thick, blocky, doubly-terminated, hexagonal crystal of Aquamarine with attractive powder blue color, nice internal gemminess and a very interesting external etching pattern that makes the crystal resemble a caterpillar. The Aqua crystal aesthetically sits atop a mound of white Albite (var: "Cleavelandite") and Microcline and is associated with a milky white/grey Quartz crystal and some contrasting black Schorl, which penetrates through the base of the piece. With the exception of one corner, the Aqua crystal is complete and damage free and so aesthetically set atop the matrix. The piece can literally be displayed from about 3 or 4 angles, and I cannot decide which way I like best. For the size, quality, associations and uniqueness of the piece, it was valued at $3500 in the inventory. It would make a very nice addtion to any gem crystal suite, or a collection of Pakistani minerals.