Beryl (Aquamarine) (LARGE Crystal - 1,730 grams) (ex Paul Zerfass Collection)

Item Description

A remarkably LARGE and impressive EUHEDRAL Beryl crystal from an undisclosed locality in Madagascar. This is almost certainly the largest single Beryl crystal that we've seen from Madagascar weighing in at a whopping 1,730 grams (nearly 4 pounds). Typically a Beryl crystal this size is often distorted and dull, but this crystal is incredibly sharp, well-formed and lustrous! For the most part the crystal has a white color on the exterior, but with a bit of backlighting you can clearly see a beautiful blue hue making this a montrous Aquamarine crystal. It's complete all the way around, and even a indentation spot on the back that looks to be damaged is actually crystallized. To top it off, one end of the crystal is actually terminated (!), though admittedly it's a contact termination. If you collect Beryls, pegmatite minerals or specimens from Madagascar, this is an incredibly rare opportunity to pick up a significant specimen for a great price. Valued at $3,500 in the inventory. From the collection of the long time, beloved, well-known French field collector, Paul Zerfass (Collection #949). Zerfass built this worldwide collection over nearly 50 years, many of which were personally collected. A biography featuring specimens from his collection (along with his face on the cover) is in the May - June 2017 issue of French mineral magazine, Le Règne Minéral. We have a .pdf copy of the article for anybody interested in reading it (though it's mostly in French). Just drop us a line and know that you'd like to have a copy.