This gorgeous thumbnail exhibits the incredible gemminess and unique blue- green color that makes phosphophyllite one of the most desired species in the mineral world. Like the above specimen, it is a stunning example of the species, showing sharp and classical twinning. The twin itself is well-formed, but the left "wing" is, sadly, contacted or cleaved and thus mostly missing. It is best displayed frontally, therefore, to get the visual depth and show off the fine face (left photo) on that side. With phospho cut stones selling for $1000-2500 per arata when you can even find one, there is substantial cutting rough value in the specimen's gemmy center, of around $3000 and perhaps more.

Phosphophyllite is one of the Holy Grails of mineral collecting. To get a good one, to even see a good one, is almost impossible. To get a LARGE and good one, that has some show value beyond being a killer little crystal , this is uncommon in the extreme! This specimen has a 2-INCH crystal cluster shooting starkly upright from a well-trimmed matrix. The color is phenomenal - the classic, and totally unique blue-green color with high saturation. The crystals are stacked like plates against each other, culminating in a very sharp and totally gemmy-clear termination atop. The crystal cluster seems to have grown in a thin seam, straight up or down as the case may be, and matrix which attached along the front has been carefully removed to leave a series of micro-faces where crystal growth was constrained, but this is not damage. A small bit of contact damage does exist, on the very left side of the cluster. The right side is terminated with outward-pointing faces showing nice patterns of crystallization on their surfaces, and just a slight bit of edge wear atop those side faces. The gemmy, stepped terminations are complete, and stand above the bulk of the cluster to really show off nicely. I have had in my life only 3 major phosphophyllites, and this is perhaps the best "bang for the buck" of them, in terms of owning something large and showy that does not completely break all price horizons (as other phosphophylites might), because I was lucky enough to buy this as a "fixer-upper" in need of a trim and clean. I cannot emphasize enough the uniqueness of the color, or the rarity of getting such a large and showy specimen of this incredibly rare, gem species. Most of them were found in the 1930s and 1940s, with jus ta small trickle turning up despite intensive efforts, in all the years since.