Villiaumite (INCREDIBLY RARE faceted stone)

Item Description

Villiaumite is a rare halide, first found in the Los Archipelago of Guinea, and named after French explorer Maxime Villiaume, who found the first piece of the species. Gem quality crystals of Villiaumite are rare enough, but FACETED gems are ridiculously rare! The species is soft with a hardness around 2 - 2.5, but the species also has perfect cleavage in one direction, so it takes a skilled hand with a good sized piece of rough to create a cut stone. This is the first and only example of faceted Villiaumite we've ever had to offer, and it weighs a whopping 29.00 carats! The stone is faceted on one side, in this case the pavilion, which is actually the top of the stone, as the base of the gem is flat, with no crown facets. When backlit, you can see an intense fiery dark carmine red color with one eye-visible veil, and only a few tiny inclusions. It's a remarkable rare gem, certainly one of the most impressive and desirable rare stones we've ever had to offer in the auctions, and would make a stellar addition to any collection. If you're a fan of rarities, this is something you're not likely to see again, so don't miss out, it's the only one we have to offer, and I doubt we'll see another like it anytime soon. From the collection of Colin Manlove. It's impossible to put a fair market value on something like this, because I literally have nothing to compare it to. It's a one-of-a-kind stone, and I hold it in high regard for the size, quality and tremendous rarity.