Topaz, St Anne's Mine, Zimbabwe

Hidden away for decades, in a former dealer's personal collection, we recently liberated this beautiful blue topaz from the famous St Anne's Mine in Africa. This fully-terminated, natural blue crystal was collected in the 1970s during the initial exploitation at this famous pegmatite mine. The specimen was owned by Prosper J. Williams and passed to his partner, and our close friend, Sarah Topham, who has held on to it until now. The original label shows the country of origin as Rhodesia, which changed names to Zimbabwe in 1979 (note the old price tag). The pastel colour and classic chisel-shaped termination are very compelling, although there are some knicks on the top of the crystal. This topaz fluoresces to a yellowish colour under long wave UV, revealing colour zoning! Note that the specimen is fully-crystalized on all sides. From St Anne's Mine, Zimbabwe. Dimensions: 5.5 cm wide x 5.5 cm tall