Specifications
Descrizione
Locality: Shigar Valley, Skardu District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Description: This aquamarine comes from the Shigar Valley in Baltistan, in the high Karakoram of northern Pakistan. The valley lies about 32 km northeast of Skardu, and its gem-bearing pegmatite dikes are exposed at high altitude along the Shigar and Braldu rivers, much of it reachable only by jeep track. Gemmologists at GIA describe northern Pakistan as an increasingly important source of aquamarine, with the Shigar, Hunza and Braldu valleys among the main areas.
Geologists from the University of Peshawar mapped these pegmatites as part of the Karakoram Axial Batholith, intruded into the metamorphic rocks of the Karakoram Metamorphic Complex where the Karakoram plate meets the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc. The gems grow in pockets in the coarse-grained zones of the dikes. Black schorl tourmaline turns up almost everywhere in the valley, alongside topaz, green fluorite, garnet, morganite and quartz.
This aquamarine specimen features a pale, icy blue color with a blocky, well-formed crystal structure. The main crystal shows natural growth lines and internal veils, giving it a slightly frosted, glassy appearance rather than fully transparent clarity. It is intergrown with smaller aquamarine crystals and a base of white matrix, along with thin, silvery mica blades that cut across the piece and add contrast and texture.
Aquamarine forms in pegmatites—coarse-grained igneous bodies where slow cooling allows large crystals to develop. In the Shigar Valley, these pegmatites are exposed in high-altitude terrain where tectonic uplift has revealed pockets lined with beryl, quartz, feldspar, and mica. The blue color in aquamarine comes from trace iron within the beryl structure, and the zoning or cloudiness seen here reflects changes in growth conditions as the crystal formed.
Aquamarine is often associated with calmness, steady thinking, and clear communication. Its cool tone and clean structure tend to appeal to people looking for something that feels balanced and grounding.
Chemical Composition: Be3Al2Si6O18
Quantity: 1pc
With this product, you will get the actual stone in the photograph.