Beryl

specimen number:
2063491

location:
Sawtooth Mtns., Idaho, USA

description:
A loose beautiful blue glassy gem crystal of beryl, this a variety often called aquamarine, without matrix. In super condition all around. This is from the 1970s, and at the time the given locality was not correct. This was done to mislead other collectors from finding the area. This crystal would have come from somewhere in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

The Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho are composed primarily of Eocene-aged pink granite batholiths containing miarolitic cavities and pegmatite pockets formed by volatile-rich magmatic fluids. These gas pockets provided optimal conditions for growing gem-quality minerals, most notably intense blue aquamarine, alongside smoky quartz, albite, and topaz. Discovered by prospectors and field collectors in the mid-to-late 20th century, the region became famous after collector Geary Murdock unearthed extraordinary, deep-blue aquamarine specimens in the 1970s. Today, the high-altitude wilderness setting makes collecting physically demanding, and strictly enforced U.S. Forest Service regulations have significantly limited modern mining and field collecting in the range.

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