Aquamarine on Albite

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This stunning, large matrix aquamarine specimen is from the same unique find of several years ago, as the specimen above. It is not just a "big flashy aqua" with size and color...like others from this find, it has a unique 3-dimensionality to it. The piece is dramatic, for the way the starkly contrasting crystallized albite matrix serves as host to a the gemmy, glassy, unusually isolated and upright crystals. There are 2 small repairs (one to the smallest aqua, and one to the basejunction of the middle large aqua crystal), but they are trivial in context given the size and pricepoint of the piece, I would say. The aquamarines from this find are very blue and gemmy, with internal phantoms of medium opacity running up halfway through the larger crystals. This is a characteristic of this now-infamous pocket found in late 2005 and brought to market in 2006, a pocket that I think will stand the test of time for, again, its uniqueness in three factors: crystal quality and color; the unusual internal phantoms; matrix aesthetics; and the fact that the albite matrix is crystallized nicely. So many aquas occur on boring ol' rock matrix...to get them to stick on crystallized matrix, and standing upright, has always been a challenge for Mother Nature. I acquired the specimen by exchange recently, from the Gene Meieran collection. In more robust economic times, there is no reason why this could not be priced up to half again as much, but he got it direct, and passed on to me fairly, and it is, I truly believe, priced for the market.