MSR12 Topaz
Mt Ibity, Antsirabé 2 Dist., Vakinankaratra Region, Antananarivo Prov., Madagascar
10.1x 4.3x 3.1 cm
$950
An unusual topaz crystal, completely gem except for one end that has some stringy inclusions. This comes from the same find that produced the blue bicolored specimen also on this update.
Topaz is not very common in Madagascar-- for all the gem materials found on the island, good topaz is remarkably difficult to find. Although not an absolute measure of rarity, Mindat only has 6 photographs of Malagasy topaz-- that alone attests to the scarcity of the mineral there.
With that said, I've never seen another example of topaz like this from the country. An interesting feature is visible in the closeup-- there seems to be some sort of a twin growth on one of the peaks.
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