Beryl var. Heliodor

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This slender, totally gem transparent crystal is a rare survivor from the 1800s or perhaps earlier, from the historic Russian beryl mines in the Ural Mountains. Few survive. Bill purchased this from a collection in Russia, said to be from a museum exchange, on travel there himself in the late 1990s. It is complete, undamaged, and sharp. The slender shape means it is more gemmy and transparent than most, and more volumetric for display, than its mass might indicate. These are a darker, richer, more saturated yellow color than Brazilian material, and a different style and also more golden yellow than their Ukrainian cousins in beryl, making old Russian heliodors very visibly recognizable when you see them - usually just in museums or in the old books from the 1800s where they often feature in images of European beryl locations. From the beryl collection of Bill Larson and Pala Intl of Fallbrook, CA. 20 grams.