significant Imperial Topaz (half pound crystal!) ex Meieran Coll.

Item Description

This single, HUGE imperial topaz from the famous high altitude locality of Katlang has a mass of 204 grams, making it one of the biggest known single gem topaz crystals from there, with good color. It has the classic Imperial orange saturation we usually associate with Brazilian material, and the same style of elongation, so we call these Imperial Topaz (one of only 3 major localities for this in the world). We still do not know what cause the unusual color and elongation of the topaz in these rare deposits, but we accept happily this beauty we are given! This huge crystal is outsized compared to other Pakistani pieces (204 grams is nearly half a pound in weight in this single gem!). It absolutely glows when backlit. The display is dramatic. Note that it is undamaged and unrepaired, although with a UV light we can see a small area of expert restoration with epoxy, on the back central crystal edge, behind the termination. Gene Meieran has specialized in gem crystals, particularly single gem crystals and Pakistani material, for 30 years. This is a particularly significant deaccession from the collection and should be considered important for what it is. At 204 grams, even if valuing by the gram, it is worth $15-20k. As a specimen, visually, we would have come up with the same value range in comparing it to the prices asked for smaller, modern pieces from this unique locality. Ex Gene Meieran collection.