Chrysoberyl (var: Alexandrite) (ex Richard Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

A lovely thumbnail sized specimen featuring many sharp, well-formed, deeply colored "sixling" twins of Alexandrite from the Novello Mine (Fort Victoria) in Zimbabwe. The largest twin measures 7 mm across and is surrounded by additional crystallized Alexandrites and sits on a thin amount of schist. Most of the crystals are in good shape, as they have smooth, well-formed faces, and the only damage of note is around the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket. Though the crystals are quite dark, there are areas where you can clearly see a fantastic "Alexandrite"-type color change with a rich green hue that changes nearly 100% to a strong purplish-red color in different lighting. A hard to find thumbnail example of this elusive material from Zimbabwe. From the collection of Richard A. Kosnar - the namesake for the phosphate species Kosnarite, and one of the greatest mineral collectors and dealers of his day. The piece is valued at $500 in the inventory.