Beryl var: Emerald on Smoky Quartz

Item Description

Emerald is one of the most prominent gem minerals in the world, and it has been found in fine examples from various classic localities in Colombia, Austria, Afghanistan, Nigeria and even the more recent material from Ethiopia. However, people seem 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 miniature sized piece features a pair of sharp, well-formed, prismatic, medium green colored Emerald crystal sitting on massive smoky Quartz matrix. The largest crystal measures 1.7 cm long. Looking closely, the larger crystal is not terminated, which is often the case with this material, as many of them are "crude" or simply broken, but the smaller crystal does have a complete basal termination. 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 $750.