Price for Rough Red Beryl

I have several pieces of uncut red beryl that were given to my father by the late Rex Harris (the owner of the mine) about 40 years ago. We are now planning on selling these specimens to interested collectors, but aren’t sure where to even begin with the pricing. The specimens vary in weight from 0.32 ct to 2.54 ct and most are very clear with good color.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Red beryl is quite rare stuff and what you have also has provenance if you can show that your father got it from the mine owner (documents, etc.), so that might make it even more rare. I think you will have trouble finding any sales of this stuff with which to establish comparison prices. You could try auction catalogs at the major auction houses or call and talk with their resident gemologists. Another possibility is making contact with the curators of some of the larger gem collections in the US, such as the America Museum of Natural History (NYC), the Smithsonian, or the Natural History Museum of LA. IDK if your largest specimen is large enough to interest any of them, but they would probably know better than most what current prices are for rare mineral specimens. If you can find the names of some of the larger mineral dealers, you could also query them, but be aware that a museum curator might be a disinterested bystander, while a dealer might want to make you an offer…which could be a fair offer or a low ball offer. John E Garsow is one ethical dealer who handles both mineral specimens and faceting rough (and your pieces might be considered either) who you could call. Of course, be aware that John is a dealer and might be trying to make a good deal. HTH, -royjohn

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Try this location

John Betts - Fine Minerals, New York, NY dealers since 1989 …

Home Page of Hundreds of minerals for sale to mineral collectors from online mineral dealer. New minerals are added every week. All major credit cards are accepted…

He not only can give you a good idea of value, but he also will sell them for you.

Thanks for the information. I’ll pursue this avenue further. I’m also trying to track down Tina Nielson (Rex’s daughter) since both her and her father were the ones who gave my father the stones after Tina bought one of my father’s Alpha Taurus faceting machines and was so pleased with how well it worked.

Thanks for the link. That’s a very interesting site. None of my specimens are perfectly formed and complete crystals, but given the nature of red beryl, maybe Mr. Betts may have some interest in them.

Hi Milt,
Did your father acquire the Alpha Taurus machines or was he the guy who built them…someone named Nick, I believe.
-royohn

He’s the designer/builder (Nick Michaillidis). He’s 90 years old now, but in pretty good health. We just relocated to Albuquerque and we’re starting a business to finally start cutting the 12,000+ carats of stones he’s collected over the last 45 years. Many of them were given to him by customers, sometimes in lieu of payment for faceting machines or spectroscopes. I’m just learning to facet, so we’ll see how it goes.

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Milt,
Nice to see you here! A friend of mine (now passed on) had one of your Dad’s machines and loved it. They are highly praised in the faceting community! Good luck in your new home and new venture.
Best Regards,
royjohn

I have been dealing in beryl for a few years now. I would love to see some pic. I have a .54ct. set in gold with diamond accents that my wife now wears. I would almost certainly be interested in purchase of larger facet or cab grade. As you know its hard to put a number to the stones but could offer a considerable amount per ct. If interested please contact me Via I.G.S. Forums or you can message me at The Chautauqua Jeweler on Facebook or Google.

I know John Betts and agree he could be of help. He is a reputable, honest vendor, a rather rare combination, these days.

Bob Ritchie
spherecraft@gmail.com

Matthew,

I’ll take some pics in the next few days an post them here. I’m in the midst of a relocation from So. Cal to Albuquerque, NM, so things have been a bit hectic but they’re starting to settle down a bit. The photos won’t be professional quality, but I’ll do my best. I’d be very interested in pursuing this further.

Thanks. I’m learning a lot at this site. My father has been talking about gems to me for years (the only language he speaks) but now that we’re buckling down and cutting stones, I want to learn as much as possible. I’ll keep you guys apprised of our progress as we set up shop, if there’s any interest.

Matthew,

Here are couple preliminary photos of the red beryls. The first one shows them arranged approximately by weight (I didn’t have my scale with me). The actual weights (in carats) are: 0.29, 0.33, 0.34, 0.45, 0.56, 0.59, 0.94, 0.98, 1.46, 1.80 and 2.53. The largest one has some matrix attached to the backside which prevented the light from transmitting in the second backlit photo.

Let me know if you have any interest in any of these pieces.

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My word! They are quite beautiful. Even from the pics the saturation and clarity look good. Very, very rare to see such things. Thank you for sharing.

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Very beautifull :face_with_monocle:

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OH MY!

My heart skipped a beat seeing this.

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Beautiful array of Bixbites (or whatever its official name is). Number 8, starting from left, will, most probably, turnout to be a spectacular faceted stone. By the way you are showing 10 stones and are11 weights in your list. Congrats and thanks for sharing this personal story.

Wow ! Talking stones !!!