Pezzottaite (very rare) ("scepter" habit crystal)

Item Description

Pezzottaite is an incredibly rare, beautiful member of the Beryl group that is notably rich in cesium. The species was named after Dr. Federico Pezzotta of Milan, Italy and subsequently approved by the IMA in September 2003. This attractive little crystal is from the type locality at Sakavalana, Madagascar. The species is best known for its fantastic strong pink color and attractive hexagonal form. This crystal is a rarity for an already rare species as it's actually a scepter(!). I've only seen three Pezzottaite crystals with this habit in all the years of buying and selling Pezzottaite. Sure the crystal is not the largest example of the species, but how often does one have the opportunity to pick up a scepter Pezzottaite like this? Considering that most new species these days are micro and without much color, Pezzottaite is a significant mineral in terms of newly discovered species as it's definitely one of the most beautiful and highly publicized. This material is almost non-existent on the market, and from what I've been told, there may never be any more specimens from Sakavalana again. The shortage of Pezzottaite specimens on the market has immediately caused these crystals to go up in value. We were fortunate to acquire this piece from an old small stash of crystals in a dealer's inventory with the original name Béryl Framboise ("raspberry" beryl) when they first hit the market (before they were named Pezzottaite).