Beryl var: Aquamarine (historic specimen)

Item Description

Aquamarines have been known for over 2,000 years. Ancient texts from India dating between 400-300 BC mention Aquamarine specifically, but actual crystal (and mining of crystals) didn't take place until they were discovered in Russia in the early 1700s. For many years, especially in Europe, Russian Aquamarines were the standard for his blue variety of Beryl. They were highly prized and sought after, not only for their beauty, but their rarity. In the modern era collectors, are quite accustomed to seeing Aquamarines from Brazil, Namibia, Pakistan, etc., but there was a fairly long period of time in the collecting world where Aquamarine crystals were RARE. This piece is a fantastic old-time specimen, dating back many years, perhaps as far back as the 1800s, which was simply labeled as coming from "Eketerinburg", but no mining took place there, it was probably just the designated locality where crystals were bought and sold after they were mined. This piece is a complete hexagonal prism, complete on all sides, with a glowing vibrant blue color internally when strongly backlit. The outer edges are slightly rounded, typical of the older material, and it very well could have been found in a stream or river where it tumbled for a time. There is no damage of note, though there are a few separation marks where presumably it was intergrown with other Beryl crystals. It's a fantastic antique specimen from this important area that was famous for its Aquamarines for centuries. The piece originally was part of the collection of Willard Wulff, a founding member of the Colorado Springs Mineral Society, whose 3x5 index card accompanies the piece along with the catalogue number 420. The piece most recently was in the collection of Brian Kosnar. Specimen weight is 102.8 grams. I'm lucky if I see one of these every few years, and this one is a good example of this specific material that is virtually unseen on the market, you typically only get to view them in old museum collections.
Valued $2,000.