FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Conor Quinlan]

This highly unusual beauty is the newest addition to my personal topaz collection and also takes the #1 spot as my favorite find of the year because of the extreme properties displayed by the crystal!

This rare, wildly elongated, Topaz is (100%) complete, undamaged, displaying perfect gem-grade clarity throughout and sharp zoning that’s pale peach/pink in color! Because of Topaz’s perfect basal cleavage there are only a handful of specimens in the world that retain both a matrix as well as such extreme proportions!

The Katlang locality is unique from other mines in Pakistan because it's based on calcite and quartz veins within carbonate rock deposits instead of pegmatite. For this reason the matrix is composed of calcite, and possibly dolomite, rather than the more commonly observed feldspar based matrix.

What’s most surprising about this specimen though is that the topaz exhibits a very unique blue-white fluorescence when illuminated with SW UV! I’ve seen topaz exhibit yellow or orange florescence before but never blue! Any thoughts on what could be causing this unusual reaction under SW UV?

[Sante Celiberti]

Hi, Conor. How are you?
I cannot say what causes those colors, but I say WOW for such a jewel.
I have a dozen quite good Pakistani topazes, but none with that elongated habit and, let alone, with that fantastic fluorescence.
And the color of calcite fluorescence is no less nice and interesting than the topaz's one.
An outstanding fluorescence combo. Congratulations.

Have peaceful Christmas holidays.
Sante