Wolodarsk Wolynski, Wolhynia, Ukraine
10.1 cm tall x 5 cm wide
During the early 1980s some of the finest known examples of heliodor beryl from a historic mining region in Northern Ukraine, not far from the southern border of Belarus, were shown to the western world. These had been found as far back as the 1940s but outside of Ukraine they were unknown. This region is well known to have produced several gem minerals including very fine topaz and aquamarine. The heliodor crystals vary in color from greenish yellow to pure yellow. Many of these earlier discoveries can now be seen in the Fersman Museum in Moscow and the local Museum of Precious Stones in Wolhynia. Prior to this, the miners were mining for quartz and the yellow beryls were merely curiosities. The early miners gave them to friends as gifts or displayed them in windows at home because they were colorful. They had no idea of their value.
This crystal is amongst the rarest and most desirable due to its vivid yellow color, fine "window" like etching, and nearly completely flawless interior.