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 4.7 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 aesthetially sits atop a mound of spheres of off-white color Albite (var: "Cleavelandite") and contrasting prisms of black Schorl which penetrate through the base of the piece. Some minor Quartz can be seen on the piece as well, for a nice touch. 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. BETTER IN PERSON. For the size, quality, associations and uniqueness of the piece, it was valued at $2700 in the inventory. It would make a very nice addtion to any gem crystal suite, or a collection of Pakistani minerals.