Huge aquamarine crystal group with smoky quartz, feldspar, tourmaline, and albite from the Himalayas

A monumental aggregate specimen from the Himalayas, featuring five minerals occurring together: Aquamarine, Smoky Quartz, Feldspar, black Tourmaline, and rose-shaped Albite. A textbook example of pegmatitic mineralogy.

Pegmatite cavities in the Himalayan fold mountains are the only deposits worldwide that regularly yield such five-mineral collector's pieces. The crystallization sequence can be directly observed in specimens like this. Feldspar first, albite roses during the late plagioclase phase, beryl/aquamarine and quartz in parallel, and finally schorl/tourmaline in the residual cavities.

The albite roses are the special marker of this piece: rose-shaped aggregated plagioclase, which only forms in specific pegmatitic cavities. The individual rose units show perfect radial symmetry.

The recovery and transport of such pieces from the high altitudes of Pakistan and Nepal is a logistical challenge. Pieces of this dimension are usually carried down to the valley over several days.