unique Beryl var. Morganite with Topaz and Albite ex Obodda

Item Description

Large, gemmy Morganites from Pakistan are not common and this piece is from an unusual pegmatite locality even within the rich gem-crystal-producing region. A big, commanding, totally transparent/translucent, light pink Morganite on matrix is the centerpiece here - perched nicely on a natural pedestal so that it displays with BOTH full terminations hanging free to see! You can actually look in one end, through the long axis, and out the other! This unusually barrel-shaped and elongated gem crystal measures 5.1 cm in length and 3.7 cm across! The barrel-shaped, hexagonal crystal is doubly-terminated (by pinacoid faces); and there are also small pyramid faces developed on the ends as well. Two of the exposed prism faces have a good luster and the other two defined prism faces have a satin luster as do the pinacoid and pyramid faces. There is one small ding on one of the terminal edges of the crystal. The Morganite is so clear you can see all the way through it to the matrix underneath, making it difficult to photograph! The matrix on this piece is a composite of small, white Albite crystals, a small amount of Muscovite - and then for added interest, several clear, colorless, terminated Topaz crystals that round out the combination. The Topaz crystals are glassy and roughly a centimeter in length. It should be noted that prismatic Morganite crystals are not common as they are usually tabular which adds to the uniqueness of the piece. It's an impressive and aesthetic combination specimen showing off two gem species in an unusual association. Ex. Herb Obodda personal collection #2059 - and he thought this so unusual he kept it instead of selling as he brought it into the States (Herb was perhaps the most important importer and educator of Afghani and Pakistani minerals at the time and almost single-handedly started the mineral flow from Pakistan, building a large personal collection in the process). Herb Obodda opened the door to Pakistan and this one he considered so unusual, he kept it in his personal collection for decades (we later bought the collection). Out of all possible provenance for a Pakistani mineral collection, coming out of Herb's is about the best validation there is. A link to an article about Herb in The Mineralogical Record can be found here: https://mineralogicalrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/pdfs/OBODDA-ARTICLE-LR.pdf. This specimen comes with a custom engraved acrylic base.