Kyanite (GEMMY crystal) (ex Rich Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

An old-time Kyanite specimen from Vitória da Conquista in Bahia, Brazil. This piece was mined in the 1970s and is a great representation of how GEMMY these crystals can be. If you're familiar with this material you've probably seen the blue and green "striped" crystals before, and this piece does have a faint "stripe" running down the center. It's not a complete crystal (both ends are contacted), but it's rather thick for the material and there are sections that are certainly clean enough to yield a good faceted gemstone. The overall internal color is more green than blue, but the stripe in the middle is clearly more blue than green. If you collect gem crystals, minerals of Brazil or interesting crystallized examples of well-known minerals, don't miss out on this beauty. You can't get these anymore, and they are certainly unusual and different than what you're used to seeing from Brazil. The piece comes from the collection of the well-known dealer Richard Kosnar (the namesake for the phosphate Kosnarite) who made a name for himself in his early days as a mineral dealer by traveling to Brazil often in the 1970s. Rich brought back many significant gem mineral specimens and assorted rarities during his travels. This specimen is valued at $750.