Peridot with Ludwigite inclusions

Item Description

Fine crystallized Peridot is not terribly common in nature. The Peridot crystals from Sapat Gali are some of the largest and finest examples of the species in the world. In addition to their excellent crystallization, many of these crystals are quite gemmy to boot. This is an excellent quality lime green color crystal with sharp, well-formed faces and good internal clarity when backlit. If you look closely, you see very fine, acicular, black silky fibrous inclusions of the relatively rare borate, Ludwigite frozen inside the Peridot. These inclusions are characteristic of many of the Peridot specimens from this locality. The piece is complete all around, but there is an indentation on the termination where the crystal grew against the pocket wall or another Peridot crystal. It's not damaged, but it's not fully crystallized either. With the exception of St. Johns Island in Egypt (which typically did not produce specimens that are larger than thumbnails and the majority of them were found at the turn of the 20th Century), there are only a few world-wide localities that produce gem quality Peridot of any substance, and the majority of that material is not even crystallized ! I have to stress that Peridot is exceptionally rare in well crystallized specimens such as this one, and the rare Ludwigite inclusions make it that much more impressive.