Beryl var: Aquamarine on Quartz var: Smoky (classic material)

Item Description

A classic, old-time Russian Aquamarine labeled only as coming from the Ural Mountains, as many of them were back in the day, but it doesn't take away from the appeal, desirability and overall quality of the piece. Most of the Aquas you'll see from this area are loose singles off matrix, but THIS piece is a rare matrix specimen, in the form of a fine quality Smoky Quartz crystal. This showy small cabinet display specimen hosts a predominant, 4.0 cm, sharp, lustrous, rich blue colored, gemmy/translucent hexagonal prism of Aquamarine, along with several other smaller (and sometimes much gemmier) crystals sitting on the aforementioned Smoky Quartz. The piece is not pristine, but the roughness is forgivable for the fact that this is an antique, dating back potentially as far as the 1800s, and it's aesthetic / showy to boot! You don't see many like this from the Urals, even in old collections, and if you're a fan of historic mineral localities, worldwide Beryls or you just love minerals of Russia, don't miss out on this beautiful and eye-catching example. Valued $3,500-$4,000.
From the collection of Bill ("Burma Bill") Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer (Pala International) as well as a miner and collector. Bill traveled the world for decades in search of fine gems and minerals, and was directly involved in the in-person acquisition and importation of superb specimens from many important gem-producing localities. You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/