Sapphire (superb SHARP crystal)

Item Description

If Sri Lanka is known for a single mineral/gem it would almost certainly be Sapphire. Pound for pound (or gram for gram) this island nation has produced the finest crystals and faceted stones of Sapphire in the world. Keep in mind that Sapphire does not only refer to the blue variety of Corundum, but all colors with the exception of red (which is reserved for Ruby). You'd be surprised at how many don't realize that pink, yellow, orange purple and green Corundum is also called Sapphire. With that said, the most valuable and sought after pieces are blue, whether they be crystals or gems. For many years, local miners would hunt through various gem gravels for pieces of rough that have been tumbled smooth due to being heavily water worn. It's because of this that it is remarkably difficult to find a SHARP and LUSTROUS Sapphire crystal from Sri Lanka, because they must be found at the source, which requires a lot more time, effort and energy than hunting through the gem gravels. This crystal is without question one of the sharpest and most lustrous Sapphires that we've ever had to offer in the auctions. It shows supremely well-formed faces, with no hint of being tumbled or water worn. The astoundingly glassy glistening luster is as good as just about any Sapphire we've had to offer in recent memory, and we've done our best to illustrate this in the video. I love the classic hexagonal form, where the crystal tapers and widens in certain spots, almost like a caterpillar moving. The crystals has a wonderful natural (unheated) blue color and although it's not pure gem quality, it's still fairly gemmy in sections. The only imperfection I can see is a nick at the termination, otherwise the crystal is in outstanding shape. You'd be hard-pressed to find another crystal of this quality for the low starting bid price of this piece. For reference, the crystal was priced at $6,000 in our inventory. Don't miss out on this superb example of a well-known gem crystal species for which most collectors don't have good representation in their collections.