$1,688Median
28Sold (12 mo)
$400Last sale
Aquamarine from Medina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
A gem crystal MASTERPIECE we are proud to offer, from the singular 1997 discovery that remains one of the world’s most important and highly valued finds of any gem crystals species, period. This is the kind of item that after now will only come out of a collection on generational terms, as entire collections turn over. The 1997 find is considered one of the most significant modern aquamarine discoveries, featuring large, limpid crystals that are highly valued by collectors and gem cutters. A MEDINA AQUA is one of the most legendary of all gem crystal finds in mineral collecting and world history, with these gem crystals standing as iconic examples of the best of species quality and a unique style found only once. Each major piece has a nickname now, most often after a collector who has owned it for decades since the original find. All are now in private collections. They are never seen for public sale and none has even been auctioned. NOTE: this is 791 grams or approximately 4000 carats of PURE AQUAMARINE facet rough of classic Brazilian seafoam blue color! Only a dozen major and a few dozen minor crystals were saved from going to the cutters to be cut for gemstones! This was the most proportional; and most were long and skinny and extended, whereas this was shorter, but balanced. Therefore, it was kept from 1997 as first choice by the well-known discerning collector and famous mathematician, Dr. Steve Smale of Berkeley. He only finally sold it in 2018, and it has since then been in the private collection of Baron Lorne Thyssen (who also wrote the introduction for our IKONS book). This is quite literally the best “small" example and yet is of normal size for most collectors. Among the most published examples of the find, this is acknowledged by publication in our own IKONS book (https://www.amazon.com/Ikons-Mineral-World-Natures-Finest/dp/B0DJV52CQY) and other books: IKONS; Brazil book sponsored by the Brazilian government, on the Back Cover; and in the Mineralogical Record book on Medina (May–June 2021). These came from a single small 1997 find as related by Wayne Thompson at length in a story within the 2024 and 2025 abridged version of Ikons of the Mineral World: Nature's Finest Art (see scan).
Product details
SpeciesAquamarine
SizeCabinet
Dimensions11.0 x 7.0 x 6.0 cm
Added on10/15/2026
LocalityBrazil, Minas Gerais, Medina
Current owner
Member since 2026
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Mineral guide
Learn about Aquamarine
sea-blue to blue-green beryl; forms in pegmatites and alpine veins; prized for color, clarity, and dramatic matrix specimens.Regional guide
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