This specimen features a 4.6 x 1.3 x 1.1 cm emerald of deep evergreen color, on quartz. As with most emeralds from this mine, the surface is a little rough and pitted compared to Colombian emeralds, but then there is admittedly a tradeoff for sheer color and impact vs price; and this difference in surface texture is part of the explanation for more reasonable pricing on Kagem emerald crystals for their size. To get a similarly-sized Colombian emerald, without repair, and with such intense color, would set you back 10 times this price in any case, so I felt that the Kagem pieces are a pretty good value in comparison to other worldwide emerald specimens. This piece I chose for its very fine exposure, showing the whole crystal and a freestanding termination. The termination is slightly asymmetric, but is complete. The color is very dark, but still teh piece is quite translucent and even transparent in zones. In person, it is much more impactful if backlit slightly. Upper-row professional photo is by Joe Budd.

This incredible large specimen is the finest large pyrrho I have seen since handling the well-known "Freilich specimen," from Sotheby's, in 2001. That piece was bigger, but this one is more elegant and significant because of the larger size of the pyrrhotite clusters. And I have seen a lot of them! The piece has stark , 3-dimensional clusters leaping off of crystallized quartz matrix. Despite the massiveness of the pyrrhotite clusters, their bright brassy color and curving form give them an elegance that a similarly sized galena or sphalerite would not have. the piece looks almost biological, with "snakes" of golden pyrrhotite "climbing" up the matrix to jump off the top like lemmings. The specimen is complete on all sides but the back, where it is naturally contacted. It was mined in 1996, I am told. On the whole specimen, there are just a few small spots of edge wear and thats it. It is nearly pristine, remarkable given the size and composition. Here is a world class example of the species, at a frankly bargain price. But, I got it cheaply, myself, so....