In some ways, this was my favorite of the emeralds on sale from the first specimen production out of this world-famous gem mine, for its overall quality and aesthetics. The knoll of quartz matrix features a SHARP and very EQUANT, 2.6-cm-long emerald perched atop its natrual pedestal. Remarkably, it was excavated without it falling out and needing repairs. It is nestled, still, securely in the quartz which once enclosed (and protected!) the crystal. The top termination is very fine and sharp. The lower termination is not lustrous, but is nevertheless complete. It has a consistent, rich, evergreen color, darker than most Colombian emeralds and so distinct. It has better luster and sharper form, than most Kagem pieces I have now seen. For a thumbnail-sized specimen (or it could display on a little pedestal as a small miniature), it was the best in the size class that I have seen for sale. Professional photos by Joe Budd. THIS SPECIMEN IS FEATURED ON THE ARTICLE ON THIS FIND, In MINERALOGICAL RECORD JAN-FEB 2010, PAGE 64