Stunning 102-carat faceted Pala Chief Mine Triphane
This stunning 102-carat faceted triphane was cut from a large gem spodumene crystal found in December 2011 in the Pala Chief Mine in Pala, California. This is the largest stone ever faceted from a Pala Chief triphane, making it a rare one of a kind specimen. While there were many large triphanes and kunzites found in the "Triphane Pocket," most did not have large facet-grade sections. Given the difficulty in cutting spodumene the yield is typically low, although the final results are well worth the effort. Its likely that unless a new pocket is discovered, there will never be a larger faceted triphane produced from this mine. Given that the last pocket of triphane was found was almost 50 years ago and the mine is not being actively developed, its likely that this stone will remain the size champion for the foreseeable future.
The stone was faceted by a master lapidary in Brazil, who has years of experience working with spodumene. He was able to maximize the yield and produce a stone that is nearly flawless. There are some visible tube inclusions, but the lapidary used the emerald cut and the orientation of the facets to mask them; they are not easily visible from a normal viewing distance. Apart from those tubes, the stone is visually flawless, and nearly loupe-clean as well. Given its large size, this is an amazingly clean stone. The gem measures 27.9 x 22.3 x 16.8 mm.
While this stone is not technically for sale, I will entertain offers commensurate with its great rarity.
© Jeffrey R. Hapeman 2012
Stunning 102-carat faceted Pala Chief Mine Triphane
This stunning 102-carat faceted triphane was cut from a large gem spodumene crystal found in December 2011 in the Pala Chief Mine in Pala, California. This is the largest stone ever faceted from a Pala Chief triphane, making it a rare one of a kind specimen. While there were many large triphanes and kunzites found in the "Triphane Pocket," most did not have large facet-grade sections. Given the difficulty in cutting spodumene the yield is typically low, although the final results are well worth the effort. Its likely that unless a new pocket is discovered, there will never be a larger faceted triphane produced from this mine. Given that the last pocket of triphane was found was almost 50 years ago and the mine is not being actively developed, its likely that this stone will remain the size champion for the foreseeable future.
The stone was faceted by a master lapidary in Brazil, who has years of experience working with spodumene. He was able to maximize the yield and produce a stone that is nearly flawless. There are some visible tube inclusions, but the lapidary used the emerald cut and the orientation of the facets to mask them; they are not easily visible from a normal viewing distance. Apart from those tubes, the stone is visually flawless, and nearly loupe-clean as well. Given its large size, this is an amazingly clean stone. The gem measures 27.9 x 22.3 x 16.8 mm.
While this stone is not technically for sale, I will entertain offers commensurate with its great rarity.
© Jeffrey R. Hapeman 2012