Topaz (unusually fluorescent) with Quartz (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

Similar in color, habit and associations these Topaz specimens from the Nujiang Valley instantly remind one of their counterparts from Pakistan. This piece features a sharp, well-formed, lustrous, pale sherry colored translucent Topaz crystal measuring 3.6 cm sitting among sharp, lustrous, prismatic gemmy Quartz crystals measuring up to 7.2 cm long on / with very minor bladed Ablite. The piece is nearly a complete "floater" as it's almost crystallized all the way around, including on the back of the Topaz crystal which completely recrystallized ("re-healed") after it separated from the pocket wall. The base of the piece has a contact on the base, and a few minor nicks, but it's in very good shape overall, and it's really showy and three-dimensional. The MOST intereseting aspect of the piece is the fact that the Topaz crystal shows a light greenish-yellow fluorescence under UV light, a phenomenon rarely observed for the species. Priced at $3,000. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.