This is a tall, elegant, 7-inch gem crystal with VERY good lustre (very sparkly) , and a high color saturation of yellow-golden color. It has a 1 cm or so aquamarine termination atop, and is complete all around save for a few minor asymmetries (one growth bend in the top half, and one 1-cm conchoidal ding on the right edge of the lower portion). The piece stands beautifully in a case, but is cheaper because it is admittedly repaired (cleanly, hard to see, at just under the 5-inch mark). The top portion alone (6 cm tall), above the repair, makes a good crystal on its own but the height was worth keeping and so it shows off dramatically, especially for the price

A tall, beautiful golden-yellow crystal with an unusual tapering effect (slight but visible) towards the base. The aquamarine cap here is about 6 mm depth. Complete all around!

An unusually fat crystal for this find, with deep golden-yellow color and a large aquamarine cap atop (just over 1 cm thick and gem clear). This crystal shows unusual etching patterns around its surface which make it rough to the surface, although it certainly appears smooth from a distance. The visual effect is to make the surface more sparkly from the extra minute reflection points.

A complete-all-around, pristine, DOUBLY TERMINATED crystal of exceptional clarity (you can read all through it). It has a slight aquamarine cap at the fat termination and the color grades down to the tip of the more elegant, bottom termination (into which it fits a custom made base). Fine crystal, of unusual elegance for this material

A highly unusual piece, the only one of this crystal habit we saw in the pocket contents, with a dramatic tapering termination. Like others here, it has a small aquamarine zone of pale colorless-slight blue atop, but it is harder to see here because the tip narrows. This crystal is complete all around, has great golden-yellow color, and is very gemmy

A very sparkly, lustrous, single crystal with a sidecar crystal riding up the right side in parallel, util merging into the main crystal at about 3 cm from the top. Also on the left side of the termination is a tiny, slender, second little crystal angling across that edge of the termination. It is complete all around except for two shallow points of contact on side edges. Elegant golden heliodor of good size for the price. Like others from this find, it has an unusual zone of pale aquamarine atop, of about 1 cm depth

An unusually robust crystal for this find (in thickness/height), with deep golden-yellow color and a large aquamarine cap atop (just over 1 cm thick and gem clear). This crystal shows unusual internal growth patterns although it certainly appears and feels smooth except for a few minor contact points (being simply grooves where crystals attached to it in the pocket, not damage). Like others from this find, it has an unusual zone of pale aquamarine atop, of about 1 cm depth -but the termination here is particularly fine in form and lustre

This is a rather unusual beryl, consisting of a "bubbly" hexagonal barrel perched on quartz. The morganite is complete all around, and is quite gemmy and translucent, but has odd etchings and patterns characteristic of beryls form the Ukraine for those who have seen them, and seldom seen in California beryls. It is oddlooking, I admit, but all the more interesting for that fact. The morganite is repaired back to its natural matrix and the repair is a good one.

Colombian emeralds are the apex predator of emeralds and beryls...they just have a magical appeal perhaps due to the fact that everybody knows what emerald is, and recognizes it on a shelf. Despite being worked for 400 years (and more), the mines of Colombia are still going. However, truly great specimens are few and far between, and only a handful come out each year - a fact. There simply are not enough specimens of a level beyond "average" to satisfy the collector market. While most emerald crystals average 1-2 cm and tend to be rather slender, this specimen hosts a very large, undamaged and unrepaired emerald crystal measuring 3.4 cm tall, 1.7 cm width, and 1.4 cm to 1.8 cm thick (the top is slanted to the back, hence the narrowing). It has phenomenal impact, visually - the color is just the top juicy intense green that specimen collectors tend to favor for its "pop," over the slightly darker evergreen hue favored by gem merchants. Luster is ultra-glassy, and bright. The termination is also glassy and bright. Internally, the crystal has a vivid sparkle to it, with no dullness as sometimes is seen in large emeralds' murky interiors. The piece is translucent, but even inside it is bright, in other words. Most emerald specimens consist of crystals arranged haphazardly in matrix, and usually of slender crystals at that. Seldom do you see so robust a crystal, let alone freestanding and flanked by contrasting matrix of the best sort (white calcite that is also crystalline, and not just ugly rock or hackly calcite which is much more common). A small sidecar crystal juts out towards the viewer at the base and provides a little accent. It also is gemmy, bright, and glassy. Aesthetically, its hard to ask for more. Moreover, the combination of intense color saturation with the surface luster is not at all common in emeralds of such size. The piece overall is a full-on large miniature of competition calibre, and the size of the emerald in it warrants a level of significance beyond the actual size of the specimen itself, in my opinion. I believe there are very few finer emerald matrix specimens out there to be had - certainly only a few per year of any size make themselves known to the whole worldwide market. Mined around 2000, Joe Budd photos

A beautiful, totally gemmy, fully terminated, floater crystal we refer to as "the bullet" for its shape. This is actually characteristic of the classic finds here, mostly in the mid 1980s although in a few pockets since. The style is even called "Jaqueto style" now. Specimens are few and far between, though. Good ones, with such gemminess and lustre, are hard to obtain. Furthermore, most examples are large and very much more expensive. I have had few smaller pieces in the miniature size range. This is a "jewel" from the collection of Steve Sinotte and Rebecca Stewart. Joe Budd photos

At 10.5 pounds, this is a rather hefty single aquamarine crystal, of some stature. It has absolutely NO DAMAGE and is complete all around! To imagine such a heavy , big piece coming to market from this region without being damaged is difficult today. The piece has a glassy lustre and an intense color that is atypically nice for the locality. Although larger crystals are known, I have not seen another this size, showing such geometric perfection and quality in both color and lustre. The aquamarines from this locality are simply not often very gemmy , compared to aqua from Shigar Valley. That being said, and taking the size into account, this piece is more translucent than most large Nagar aquamarines, and of course has a deeper intense blue color than most Shigar aquas. It came out in the late 90s and was sold into the collection of Marc Weill. It is illustrated in the Mineralogical Record book on his collection (Jan-Feb 2008). Joe Budd photos

This piece looks carved. This fantastic gem crystal is unearthly in its gemminess and sharpness. It represents the ultimate quality level to which the collector can aspire, if funds are available , and sophistication allows appreciation of perfection at any size. I use the hyperbole not lightly, having see literally thousands of Pakistani aquas in the last 20 years. This one, mined a few years ago, is special. This piece jumps out, even still. It has an impact beyond its size, and a quality that places it in the top percent of a percentile of all the similar specimens mined. The associations with matrix and a slight garnet inclusion serve to enhance the sense of ethereal clarity and perfection of the crystal itself. It is , gram for gram for my tastes, one of the finest gem crystals I have held in my hand. Aside from a few very small natural growth contacts on the side, it is pristine and perfect all around and looks equally good from all 4 sides. The photos makes this look like a killer, and it is, but even their accuracy does not convey the piece's full impact in person. Joe Budd photos