Beryl var: Aquamarine (excellent GEMMY crystal) on Muscovite

Item Description

The famed Pingwu Mine for many year has been one of the most distinctive localities in all of China. We first started seeing specimens appear on the market in the late 1990s from this tungsten-tin-beryllium mine. There are three signature mineral species found here, and the Beryl crystals are not only the best from any Chinese mine, they are notably distinctive due to their tabular habit. This fantastic miniature sized display specimen hosts a predominant, very sharp, highly lustrous, GEMMY, pale blue color, thick tabular hexagonal crystal of Aquamarine measuring 3.4 cm across, with minor additional Aquamarines sitting on Muscovite matrix. It's not just a simple hexagonal crystal, as there are gorgeous first and second order pyramidal faces on both ends. It's rare to find tabular Aquamarine from any locality, most of the time Aquas are thin prisms, and to find a crystal as THICK as this is also rare for blue Beryl from anywhere. No major damage I can find on the top/display side, but there is a small separation mark on the base of the main Aqua crystal where it was once connected to the pocket wall. Overall it's an incredibly presentable and eye-catching piece of these easily recognizable Aquamarine crystals from this prestigious locality.
Valued $5,000-$6,000.
From the collection of Albert M. “Al” Liebetrau (1938-2023) and Suzanne "Sue" Liebetrau (# Ba 1849).
Both Al and Sue were from Wisconsin originally, but lived in various places in the US and Europe, eventually ending up in Oregon. Al was a teacher (from high school to the university level) and statistician with degrees in math and statistics, and Sue taught English and worked as a technical editor for Battelle Memorial Institute. While Al has since passed away, Sue is still a very active member of the mineral collecting community. The Liebetraus were married for over 60 years (they were married in 1960) and assembled a world-class collection of fine quality crystallized display specimens, along with one of the great fluorescent mineral collections in the United States. Incidentally, Al was the former president of the Fluorescent Mineral Society, and was the main person in charge of putting together the massive number of displays at the 2021 Tucson Show (fluorescent minerals was the theme that year).
Mineral specimens from their collection have won multiple awards at various shows, including the prestigious Lidstrom Trophy for the best mineral specimen at the TGMS Show in Tucson, along with the Desautels Trophy for the best case. Additionally, the Liebetraus were awarded the Romero Award for best Mexican specimen, and the Bideaux Trophy for best Arizona specimen.
You can read more about Al and Sue and their lives at the following link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00357529.2023.2236000