Aquamarine with Schorl on Orthoclase

Shigar Valley, Shigar District,

Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

12.7 cm wide x 11.5 cm tall

Ex-collection William Ferris

There are two significant regions for aquamarine in Pakistan - Shigar and Nagar. The Shigar aquamarines tend to be gemmier, with sky blue color and glass-like in appearance, some are nearly flawless. The aquamarines from Nagar are usually cloudier and gray in color. The Shigar gem crystals actually look like gems!

Pakistan set the bar for matrix aquamarines long ago. These elegant glass-like crystals rising from a crystallized and contrasting matrix are the most sought after. It is aquamarine in its natural form that fascinates the advanced collector, as well as the beginner. They are beloved not only for their beauty but for their connection with the world of gemstones. It is a specimen like this that best illustrates the tethered relationship between the aquamarine ring or pendant and the crystal they actually come from.

This piece has the aesthetic qualities that we demand from a top-quality mineral specimen; This specimen is an architectural tour-de-force. The multiple tall narrow clear blue crystals appear like skyscrapers made of aquamarine. The aquamarines are an icy blue with superior clarity that only the best examples possess. The matrix is a combination of snow white lustrous pearly crystals of orthoclase intermixed with shimmering black crystals of schorl tourmaline.