Description
This topaz crystal is from the Skardu District, Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan (Northern Areas), Pakistan. Local miners dig in the granitic pegmatites in the area looking for crystal filled pockets. There are several gem varieties of minerals found in them including topaz. It is a silicate and it contains the elements Al, Si, O, F, and H. It can be found in a variety of colors which are created by different trace impurities in the crystal lattice. This is a pink-champagne colored transparent crystal with a pink hue or cast that is hard to capture in a typical photo. It is shown in photo 1 with a black background which shows the color better than a white background. It has a well defined orthorhombic habit and a glass luster. It measures 1 1/16 x 13/16 x 13/16 inches or 26 x 20 x 20 mm. It weighs 105 carats.
