LARGE HISTORIC PEZZOTTAITE SPECIMEN
126 carat Rough with Acrylic Display Stand
Diamond famously utilizes carbon atoms in its crystal lattice, but Emeralds are formed on a molecular foundation of beryllium.
In November 2002, scientists believed they discovered a second location for gem-quality Red Emerald in Madagascar. Upon closer inspection, the deposit was found to lack sufficient beryllium to form the minerals. To make up for this deficiency, crystals utilize cesium atoms in place of beryllium. Cesium often modifies the typical shape, and it is rare for specimens to attain beryl's famous hexagonal form, as seen in this example.
The material is a cesium-analogue of beryl -- a closely-related but entirely new species belonging to the beryl group. The mineral was named Pezzottaite after its discoverer, Dr. Frederico Pezzotta. This exceptionally large 126 carat specimen was discovered during Pezzotta's original 2002 expedition, and publicly offered by the world-famous Bonhams Auction House in 2011.
Four times as many Pezzottaite gemstones exist on the market than the number of Red Emeralds above ground, but the deposit in war-torn Madagascar is inaccessible and believed depleted, making Pezzottaite MORE-rare for total supply on Earth. Under a hundred pounds of gem-quality rough was ever produced, and the largest stones today are likely to be among the largest which will ever exist.
Twenty carat cabochons sell at wholesale for $1,000 per carat or higher, and while this rough would almost certainly yield a finished gem more than 20% its original weight, specimens of this size ARE INCREDIBLY RARE, and ones which can be pedigreed back to Pezzotta's personal collection and/or the first exploration and mining of the site are almost unheard of, making this piece an undeniably historic part of the mineralogical record.
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$20,000 USD 11.5 oz Gold / 725 oz Silver 0.5 BTC