Topaz (Imperial)

Item Description

Katlang is arguably the most famous Topaz locality in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. This remote locale has produced some of the most amazing intense "imperial" Topaz crystals in the world. This piece features a beautiful, GEM quality, sharp, lustrous, prismatic orange colored crystal of Topaz aesthetically flaring off Feldspar matrix. The crystal measures 1.9 cm, and is fine quality with no damage and a unique (but characteristic to this locale) semi-etched termination. The majority of the crystal is WATER CLEAR and the reflective luster on the surface really shines. There is even a little accenting crystal on the upper portion of the piece for a nice touch. It's a great miniature display specimen, and when you think about it, how often does one find orange colored GEM quality Topaz on matrix from any world locality? OVER 99% of the Imperial Topaz crystals from Brazil are loose (off matrix), and their Pakistani counterparts should be respected and appreciated for what they are. Valued $2,500.
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.