SOLD
D06-242
Benitoite (Huge Gemmy Crystals)
Benitoite Mine, San Benito Co., California, USA
Miniature, 4.0 x 2.0 x 1.5 cm
SOLD
WOW! I hardly need to say that these are EXTREMELY large benitoite crystals, and very thick, and have a sizable gem rough value to them. I was able to obtain this from the former co-owner of the benitoite mine, Bill Forrest: he tell sme it was mined sometime in the early 1980's. It was in a small area that produced several very large and gemmy crystals. One crystal of this group cut a 10 ct. gem. However, as he put it, "This is one of the larger crystals, so I decided to hold on to it till now. Most benitoite crystals don't have the luster and depth that this one has. It also has 2 large clear areas that will cut two ct. to three ct. gems minimum. With the conditions at the Benitoite Gem Mine I don't think anything like this will be coming out in the future, obviously. " Personally, I have seen only one other for sale from this pocket, a well-known toenail-sized specimen that was in the Frank Knechtel collection and is now in the Irv Brown collection. This specimen is more large and has a deeper blue color, which is really quite remarkable in person. The overall impact of the piece is beyond its actual size, and this all aside from the intrinsic value of several large stones which could be cut from the gemmy tips. The specimen is 4 cm along ht ediagonal front, or longest, edge top to bottom. It is 2.5 cm across if measured lengthwise at longest. It IS a full miniature, if on the smallish end. But, the crystals really transcend the size of the overall piece. I do not think you will ever see anything like this again on the market.