Emerald with Calcite (illustrated) - image 1

Emerald with Calcite (illustrated) - image 2

Emerald with Calcite (illustrated) - image 3

Emerald with Calcite (illustrated)

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A really displayable, sparkly small cabinet-sized Emerald and Calcite combination piece from the historic and world-famous Colombian emerald mines! This nest of clean white calcite hosts a stunning, classic emerald-green crystal that dramatically stands out against the contrasting matrix composed of milky white Calcite crystals. The glassy, hexagonal Emerald crystal is 1.9 cm long and 1.1 cm wide with a totally gem transparent termination for the upper 4 mm. The termination is complete and totally visible in the the small, Calcite-lined vug (pocket) that hosts it. The Calcites on this piece are a few millimeters to 1 cm in maximum dimension and pretty much cover the piece with the exception of a few places where the dark gray, carbonaceous matrix peeks through. This is just an exquisite Colombian Emerald matrix specimen from the mines that have been producing for over 500 years but from which specimens in matrix are rare and seldom available even today! For a display sized specimen, anything bigger with the quality of the crystal would cost six figures, out of reach for many collectors. Yet, it is not small or medium quality, either. Because of the "look" of the piece, so nicely situated in matrix, it is special. It is not repaired, nor damaged (and many Colombian emeralds are repaired or even faked at the source into the matrix, so this is a place to be very careful with such matrix specimens!). It is a perfect balance of size and impact (and price) for so many collections. Illustrated in Mineral Collections of Brazil, 2020, page 130