Cuprite (very rare)

Item Description

Cuprite is a beloved rare gem, only found in facet grade examples in a few world localities. Without a doubt, the finest and largest gems came from the Onganja Mine in Namibia years ago. This locality is long closed, and stones are rarely seen on the market these days. This large "Step Oval" cut gem has the classic metallic appearance on the exterior, but when it's backlit, the stone shows the classic blood red color for which Cuprite is known. This is a great rarity to be sure, from the standpoint of size and no rare stone collection is complete without a good Cuprite in it. The rough from which this stone was cut was mined about 50 years ago. A beautiful large gem of this well known and now hard to find material.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a chip on this stone just below the girdle on one of the upper pavillion facets, so it has damage that cannot be seen face up, but it's there. Originally the stone was valued at $3,975.00 retail, but the chip significantly decreases this value unless the stone is recut.