Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Africa, South America, Brazil, Padre Paraiso Minas Gerais, & Near East, Turkey, Black Sea, ca. millions of years ago. A dazzling collection of 12 gemstones and minerals including aquamarine, black sea agate, dark green tourmaline, blue agate, and quartz. The two banded agates were collected from the Black Sea region, and together with the stunning blue agate - were cut to highlight the astounding striations and colors. The Black Sea agates are highly polished to a mirror-like finish. The tourmaline crystal formation is a raw piece, an inky black hue around a clear quartz formation. The quartz crystal has internal fractures that refract the light, glittering and creating rainbow hues. The last 7 crystals are aquamarine prisms - some atop muscovite formations- ranging from colorless to a pale blue-green (B grade to A grade). Size of largest agate: 3" L x 2.25" W x 1.5" H (7.6 cm x 5.7 cm x 3.8 cm); tourmaline: 1" L x 0.7" W (2.5 cm x 1.8 cm)

In Roman times, aquamarine was thought in antiquity to be a symbol of youth and joy, and the treasure of mermaids, and sailors carried the stone on voyages for protection. Quartz was a prized material due to its translucency and refractory properties. Pliny the Elder believed that quartz was fossilized ice, permanently frozen into stones, a belief that persisted into the 17th century!

Provenance: private Van Buskirk collection, Tucson, Arizona USA

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#184025

  • Condition: Agates are cut and polished - stunning colors. The aquamarine crystals are B grade to A grade colors, some prisms are cut. Interior of quartz has stable fractures throughout.

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March 1, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000