• Color:  Colorless
• Clarity:  Slightly Included
• Origin:  Palomo Mine, Castrovirreyna Prov., Huancavelica Dept., Peru
• Cut:  Diamond Step
• Treatments:  None
• Measurements:  33.4 x 20 mm

Gypsum is simply ridiculously soft and difficult to facet.  With a Moh's hardness of 2 (actually 1 1/2 in one direction!) and perfect cleavage, we have only ever seen one or two pieces done as curiosities.  The stone is remarkably large and well done - the polish easily rivals most Quartz and you certainly would not guess Gypsum, indeed it may not make the top 10 of your guesses!

The Palomo Mine is well known for Gypsum specimens, so you have a nice locality to go with such a sizable and interesting piece.  It will certainly be much easier to find a mineral specimen to accompany the stone than the other way round.  From a find in 2003 in which some larger single crystals were found - this is rare as a gem and rarer still done this nicely - an exciting collector's piece.

$15 / carat - $738 total