Topaz (classic locality)

Item Description

A first-rate old-time Topaz crystal from the 1970s out of the prestigious Klein Spitzkopje granite stock in Namibia. This series of peaks in the Namib Desert is one of the great Topaz-producing localities in the world in the last 50 years or so. This piece is very gemmy, with big broad, smooth lustrous prism faces, with a captivating etched termination, showing dozens of tiny "spike" or "peak"-like tips. The piece has a soft icy blue color, but almost look colorless in certain lighting. When you hold it against a stark white background, you can see the pastel hue. No major damage that I can find. A superb, and rather good sized example of these well-known Topaz crystals. Specimen weight is 96.0 grams. Valued $3,000 for size, quality and the classic locale.
This piece 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.