Beryl var: Aquamarine (classic locality)

Item Description

Mt. Antero is one of the most famous localities in Colorado, both for its minerals and it's physical location. This 14,000+ foot peak is the highest summit of the southern Sawatch Range in Central Colorado. This prodigious peak is one of the more rugged localities for field collecting in the state. People have been collecting at Mt Antero since at least 1885, and they are still up there today digging for crystals. The locality is best known for producing some of the finest crystals of Aquamarine from any locality in North America, in terms of color and quality. This piece is an attractive antique example with a good saturated blue color and moderate translucency when backlit. The termination is partially crystallized, with a few well-formed, prism faces. A little bit of surface etching can be seen. A wonderful old example of these famous and beloved Aquas. Specimen weight is 13.56 grams.
This piece comes from the personal collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired from mining, but he worked for decades in various mines underground in Colorado, as a miner, mechanic, engineer, shift boss and foreman. His biggest claim to fame is that he was the foreman and the primary person in charge of mining and specimen recovery at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado in the 1970s alongside his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar. This project what was the FIRST ever operation for specimen recovery at this historic locality. A full-page photograph of Dave can be seen mining underground at the Sweet Home in on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures". For reference, Dave is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar.