Polished Malachite crust (old classic)

Item Description

CLASSIC OLD MATERIAL FROM TSARIST RUSSIA - SELDOM SEEN IN LARGE PIECES TODAY! A dramatic and beautiful old-timer from Imperial Russia. This large, arrowhead-shaped piece is a curved crust of solid malachite. The front has been polished to bring out the striking formations of the gorgeous, banded "eyes". The color variations of the banding and the sculptural shapes of the eyes are a joy to behold. The back highlights the elongated shape of the malachite botryoids and the dense banding on the malachite. Classic material from the Urals and seldom available in this quality. The previous dealer label states "circa 1893 from the Levi Smith Collection" which was sold off a few years ago. valued $500-750 if form Zaire, though the style and shape is a bit different than we see from there today. From Russia, and with the great form and polish, this should be double that, and valued $1000 quite fairly