Scapolite (GEM crystal)

Item Description

Here we have a beautiful GEM QUALITY golden colored Scapolite crystal from Tanzania. For reference, Scapolite is not a species, but it's commonly used in place of the actual species (Marialite and Meionite). This crystal is Marialite for what it's worth. It is an incredibly gemmy, prismatic, stout crystal with a pleasing golden color and gentle but defined striations on the surface, weighing 111 grams. There is an indention on one corner of the termination, but I truly do not think it's damage, it looks as though the crystal must have grown against something in the pocket, as you can see there are the same striations on this spot as there are on the rest of the crystal, so it appears to be more of an interrupted growth than anything. Like most Scapolite crystals, the color in this crystal is stronger when viewed down the "c" axis, and when backlit, you can see it's virtually WATER-CLEAR throughout. These crystals are expensive from the source, as they are often sold based upon their weight in gem value. If you consider the weight of this piece x 20% yield, you could conservatively expect to get about 100 carats of faceted gems out of it, priced at $25/ct wholesale, so the low price in gem value for this crystal would be $2500, just for reference.