This page contains selections from a recent trip to Madagascar. Two finds deserve particular attention. One is a spectacular find of auqmarines and heliodors from Befotaka--good samples of beryl are surprisingly scarce from the country, the last significant pocket I know of was about 7 years ago.
A very beautiful doubly terminated crystal of beryl that grades from heliodor near the top, to aquamarine near the base.
Despite this being my fourth trip to the country, I had only ever come away with a few beryl samples previously-- usually nothing particularly gemmy. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to claim that the pieces recovered from this pocket are probably some of the best beryl specimens to come from Madagascar in the last 10-15 years.
There is some sub-surface pocket dirt-- this is visible more on one side than the other. I have included pictures of both sides (to see the dirtier side, see the pictures below the description and at the very bottom). It is somewhat difficult to get the color right in the pictures, so I have photographed it with a few different backgrounds-- the super bright image is an iPhone picture in direct winter sunlight-- as you can see, the thing really glows if you light it correctly, and the effect can be recreated with a well-placed LED.
Despite this being my fourth trip to the country, I had only ever come away with a few beryl samples previously-- usually nothing particularly gemmy.
There is some sub-surface pocket dirt. While it is visible in person, the camera seems to lock on to it-- I'm posting it anyway, but this one is likely to be better appreciated in person, at a show.
It is somewhat difficult to get the color right in the pictures, so I have photographed it with a few different backgrounds-- the super bright image is an iPhone picture in direct winter sunlight-- as you can see, the thing really glows if you light it correctly, and the effect can be recreated with a well-placed LED.
It is somewhat difficult to get the color right in the pictures, so I have photographed it with a few different backgrounds-- the super bright image is an iPhone picture in direct winter sunlight-- as you can see, the thing really glows if you light it correctly, and the effect can be recreated with a well-placed LED.
It is somewhat difficult to get the color right in the pictures, so I have photographed it with a few different backgrounds-- the super bright image is an iPhone picture in direct winter sunlight-- as you can see, the thing really glows if you light it correctly, and the effect can be recreated with a well-placed LED.
A perfect Japan law twin from Mahaiza. Madagascar has a few localities that produce quartz twins (think of the amethyst or milky samples from Andilamena) but such samples are exceedingly rare from Mahaiza, despite the area producing industrial quartz by the ton.
Actually, this piece is exceptionally sharp and transparent for any Malagasy locality. It was purchased from an area dealer who handles large quantities of industrial quartz—from the vast quantities he handles, he obviously saw this one was special and set it aside.