Peridot (HUGE stone for the locality!) (ex Marvin Rockey estate)

Item Description

There are not many places in the world where fine gem quality Peridot can be found. For many years, the majority of the world's supply of gem quality Peridot (especially before anything came out of Myanmar or Pakistan) was the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona. This gorgeous material is well known for its vibrant green color and great clarity. Most of the stones you'll see from this locality are under 1 carat in weight, so when you have a 16+ carat stone like this, it's phenomenal! For reference, it's incredibly rare to get your hands on a San Carlos Peridot that weighs much more than 3 carats, especially these days, but this stone dates back decades ago, when there was larger piece of gem rough coming out. The stone has a beautiful saturated yellow-green hue, with some slight inclusions and a "Freeform" cut. I'm certain that the unorthodox cutting was due to the fact that whoever cut the stone was trying to get as much yield out of it as possible, and sometimes you have to cut a non-traditional shape to get as big of a stone as possible. The San Carlos stones are by far the most famous and finest quality Peridot gems from any locality in North American, and arguably the Western Hemisphere. A truly impressive world-class collector's stone. A must-have for any serious gem collector, a fan of Arizona gems or anybody with a birthday in August, as Peridot is the birthstone for that month. For the amazing size and quality, this stone is priced at $7,465.50 retail. This stone is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us only recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.