Detailed information
Species
Beryl, var. Aquamarine
Dimensions
84 x 19 x 15
mm
Locality
Ural Mts Russia
Condition
No recorded repairs
A simple, single, 8.4 cm tall hexagonal prismatic crystal of Beryl, of the variety Aquamarine, recorded as from the Ural Mountains in Russia. No further locality information has been recorded, but the character of this crystal is exactly like those seen in late 18th to early 19th aristocratic European collections, often with the same "Ural Mountains" tag, or also "Catherineberg, Siberia". Evidence from numerous sources suggests that the true source of these 'banded' Aquamarine crystals is Adun Cholon in Nerchinsky District, Siberia, Russia. Although termed Aquamarine, the transparent yet slight cloudy pale watery-green Beryl from Adun Cholon is sometimes documented as 'Emerald', but its most prominent feature is the horizontal fine bands of subtle aquamarine-blue. The crystal terminates with a 6 mm zone of this bluer-shade of aquamarine and a sub-mm cap of pale apple-green. The flat pinacoid termination is shot-through with very fine acicular black inclusions, probably tourmaline, some of which break through to the surface, leaving pits and grooves a fraction of a millimetre deep. A choice and interestingly coloured Beryl from the Ural Mountains/Adun Cholon exhibiting quite striking and eye-catching horizontal colour bands. Ex Michael Harris collection.