This is quite simply the best matrix Brazil emerald known, and has been featured on the back cover of Le Regne Minerale in 1998 and in a photo in the Min Record as well. It GLOWS with color. Steve has owned this since the 90s. The pocket was found in 1997 and it was sold to noted french collector Gilles Emmringer. He had one of the best collections of fine quality brazilian gem crystals at the time. Shortly thereafter it was exchanged to Steve Smale. Since its deaccession to Smale, Steve has owned it as one of his marquis gem beryl specimens, well-known from being shown at Tucson and at his home You simply cannot find an equivalent emerald from Colombia or Nigeria , as this rich matrix look remains unique as well. In person, the color is a very glassy and rich hue of green that gem people tell me has a "hint of blue" in it. the result is a very intense color that stands out in brightness form the rather more common , and still expensive, Colombian material. There is simply not another matrix emerald like this, to our knowledge, anywhere on the planet. The piece is large, at 7 x 4.5 x 4 cm overall. The crystal is also of good size at 3.5 cm tall, 2 cm wide, and 1.5 cm thick. It is , again, extremely glassy and bright. the extra color pizzazz contributed by all the small crystals on the side of the central quartz contributes a lot of visual impact and helps to "centre" the eye on the middle. EVEN IF THIS WERE COLOMBIAN , it would fetch a very high price for the aesthetics and color brilliance of the large emerald. The fact that it comes from Brazil, from a mmuch rarer and smaller discovery that seems to have been a on-time occurrence, makes this far more significant than any comparably sized Colombian piece could be, however. I consider myself fortunate that we were able to make an exchange with which we both feel happy (he still has one of the best Colombian matrix emeralds!), to acquire this specimen. It was not for sale, only for trade, in other words. Comes with custom lucite base for easy display.

Bubblegum-pinks are rare , for whatever reason, despite the produndity of other colors coming out of Afghanistan. A good bubblegum-pink tourmaline is just hard to get ahold of...and o matrix, almost impossible! This attractive combination piece features a 9 x 3.75 x 3 cm crystal perched dramatically next to a slightly smoky quartz, with both showing freestanding terminations unencumbered of the other. The smoky has a slight chip out of the back (not visible or detracting at all from the front), but is otherwise complete all around 360 degrees! The tourmaline is pristine, has no damage at all, and is ALSO complete 360 degrees except at its junction to the quartz in the lower half on onee side. The termination is perfect. There is one very clean repair only, on the whole specimen, to the tourmaline about 1.3 up from its bottom. You have to really look for it, to find it, the job is done so well. What really makes the piece, though, is the accenting white albite and purple lepidolite at the base of the smoky and tourmaline, nestling the two crystals and providing a contrasting base for them to jump out from. It is an exceptional combination piece that I first sold in the late 1990s and have been trying to trade back ever since to do more work on it (which was done, to trim it to this level). I have not see the like since, in this price range.