Aquamarine with Schorl and Quartz (ex Tom Campbell Collection)

Item Description

When it comes to Aquamarine specimens, some of the best contemporary pieces in the world are the famous examples from Erongo, Namibia. Not only is the quality superb on many of these Aqua specimens, but the associations can make for some really stellar specimens. It's important to note that matrix specimens of Aquamarine are a fairly rare item in the mineral world in terms of history. For centuries, nearly all crystals of Aquamarine were found loose, with very little matrix. Then the Shigar Valley started producing some superb Aquas in the 1980s and beyond, followed about 20 years later by the gorgeous specimens from Erongo. This piece features several superb quality, WATER CLEAR, razor-sharp, lustrous, glowing blue color Aquamarine crystals measuring up to 1.6 cm long associated with striated, contrasting black Schorl Tourmaline crystals measuring up to 2.1 cm long on cream colored Feldspar (Microcline and / or Albite) matrix to create a lovely small cabinet display specimen. Although, some may not consider it to be the main species on the piece, the single 5.7 cm, GEM QUALITY, slightly smoky Quartz prism stands out as one of the best Quartz crystals that I've seen from Erongo, hands down. The glistening luster, incredibly high optic quality and the fact that it's DOUBLY-Terminated make it an outstanding crystals, almost comparable to Swiss quality Quartz. The overall quality and form makes for a lovely specimen, as it's a very three-dimensional and shows beautifully from a few angles. Very little damage, and superior quality all around. I value this highly at $2,500 for the fact that all four species (technically it's five as I found a tiny bit of Muscovite on the back) make for such a beautiful balance of color and form, and it's not terribly easy to get all of them together on a single piece from Erongo, let alone with such wonderful aesthetics.