Dodo Mine, Saranpaul, Prepolar Ural Mtns., Western-Siberian Region, Russia

This important large specimen features a 12-cm-long doubly-terminated, gem crystal on top! That crystal is RAZOR sharp, literally. It is extremely translucent and has the best lively brown color when backlit, not too dark as many are. The piece is nearly pristine all around, with just a small bit of contact or damage in back (and not on the main crystal). The way the matrix balances and contrasts, is also unusual as most large axinites are simply masses of axinite with little matrix to offset the crystals. This is a rarified, large piece from the mining in the 1980s heyday here. It was in the Ed David collection in the 1990s, and then the Marc Weill collection in the early 2000's. I think such a piece is simply not out there on the modern market. Joe Budd photos