Name BERYL
Variety EMERALD
Origin Wadi el Sikei, Kosseir (Egypt)
Hardness 7 - 8
Composition Be3Al2Si6O18
Crystaline sys. HEXAGONAL
Size   8,5 x 7 x 5 cm
Weight 230 gr




Description:
This specimen, though of low quality, has the honour of coming from the oldest emerald deposit ever exploited by Man. This deposit is known as Cleopatra's Emerald Mine, and has been worked on since the time of pharaoh Sesostris more than 3,500 years ago. It is located in the middle of the desert, near the border with Sudan. Many tunnels bore through the area's granite, and one can see around them the ruins of several buildings erected in times of the pharaohs and a small temple excavated in the rock. We collected this specimen ourselves from the deposit, in 1989.


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BERYL



VARIETY EMERALD