Beryl var: Emerald on Smoky Quartz

Item Description

Emerald is one of the most sought-after gem minerals out there, known in fine specimens from various classic localities in Colombia, Austria, Afghanistan, and even the modern material from Ethiopia. With that said people tend to forget about the impressive (though rarely gem quality) crystals from Bahia, Brazil. According to mindat.org, "The mica schists of Carnaíba, may contain the most extensive emerald deposits in the world." This area is FAR more prolific than Colombia in terms of number of specimens found. This attractive large miniature / small cabinet sized piece features a sharp, well-formed, prismatic, medium green colored Emerald crystal sitting on massive smoky Quartz matrix. The crystal measures 1.6 cm long. Looking closely, the crystal is terminated, which is not often the case with this material, as many of them are "crude" or simply broken. You don't see a lot of good matrix Emeralds from Bahia on the market these days, and a showy UN-repaired Emerald like this is certainly desirable, regardless of the locality Valued at $975.