Weight: 5.67 ct.
Dimensions: 14.2 x 14.3 x 2.65 mm
Clarity: SI - very clean for a slice, and incredibly clean for this material
Origin: Thickachaur Mine, Jaljalla Mountain, Jajarkot, Western Development Zone, Nepal
Treatments: None, natural gemstone
Comments:
Nepal dravite is almost all black, to transparent / gemmy dark brown. I have only ever seen these light, open color tan/green/honey colored ones on my gem hunting trip to the area in 2011. I have never seen any more available before, or since. This leads me to believe that they were a specific find from a specific pocket zone of mineralization. This 'fancy color' dravite from Nepal could even be a one-time find, never to be seen again. I have not had them tested myself, but I do wonder if they contain any unique or interesting trace elements which would produce the curious and interesting colorations inside.
I did slice a lot of this material, because the crystals exhibited great form, but mostly they are not quite gem quality. Of the 250 crystals I bought over a short time, I was only able to find and extract four pieces of facet rough, around 50 slices, and I kept about 20 crystals in their original crystal form due to beauty and good crystallization.
THIS particular slice is one of my top 5 favorites! It has a two-color thing going on, and this is one of the gemmiest ones I was able to make. It has an excellent shape, good thickness, and a wonderful polish. I have made a lot of slice pendants from these!
Scenic photos are of the first few hundred feet of 15,000 ft. Jaljalla Mountain. Thickachaur mine is at 12,000 ft. roughly.