Scapolite (rough and cut set)

Item Description

Here we have a beautiful rough and cut set of gorgeous amber golden colored Scapolite from Tanzania featuring two different gems and a single crystal. The first gemstone is a virtually eye-clean "Modified Emerald Brilliant" weighing 2.44 carats, and measuring 12.06 mm x 6.11 mm, and the other stone is also has excellent eye-clean clarity with a "Round Brilliant" cut weighing 1.29 carats and measuring 7.83 mm across. The gems are paired with an equally attractive, incredibly gemmy, elongated tapered crystal with a deep color and slight etching on the surface, weighing 2.8 grams. I can't remember having a rough and cut set of this particular material to offer in the auctions before, and the color is so captivating. They're not yellow, they have a more of a medium amber beer hue. Very attractive and fine quality all around, don't miss out on this beautiful set. This set comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.