Diopside (superb GEMMY crystal)

Item Description

The various "Alpine-type" cleft localities in the high mountains of Pakistan have produced various specimens that are quite similar to their true Alpine counterparts from Europe. Alchuri is one of the best-known of these localities, and it has produced - albeit in limited quantity - some superb Diopside crystals over the years. The best of these pieces compare quite favorably to the famous old specimens from the Zillertal in the Austrian Alps. This particular crystal is one of the best Pakistani Diopside specimens we've ever had to offer in the auctions. It is notably well-formed, with smooth, euhedral faces on all sides (no etched faces), and the luster is as good as anything I've seen from Alchuri. The crystal is also thicker than most I've seen from the locality, complete all around with a beautiful tapered pyramidal termination. With STRONG backlighting, an intense green hue can be seen internally, and the crystal is virtually WATER-CLEAR inside, but you really need to blast the light in there to see it. We did our best to backlight the crystal in the photo but it looks BETTER in person with strong backlighting. I can't find any damage, outside of the base of the crystal where it was separated from the pocket wall. The termination has a small indentation, where it experienced some kind of interrupted growth, but it's not damage, as it isn't broken, just not 100% complete. For those of you who collect gem crystals, this is something that certainly qualifies in that category, and it's not your typical pegmatite species like Tourmaline, Beryl, etc., but rather something much rarer and more desirable in my mind from the standpoint of the environment from which it formed, and the notably high quality of the crystal in general. This is from an older find, dating back to the 1990s, and nothing even close to this quality has come out in many years. Don't miss out, we don't have another like it to offer. Specimen weight is 24.7 grams. Valued $3,000.