Awesome Ultra Rare lot of Yellowish Golden Honey Brown Bastnaesite Top SELECT Faceting Rough from the Khyber Agency in Pakistan. This IS the BEST material we have gotten a hold of in A VERY LONG time! Every stone in this lot is a chunky crystal section and/or nodule that should yield eye-clean to very slightly included finished gems with a little hard work. Some of these stones do have minor inclusions on the periphery; however, we are confident that all inclusions will facet out in most of these with normal faceting and a little planning without any significant impact on yield. Most stones do have the potential to cut eye-clean or better with relative ease at average or above average yield.

We would say that roughly 90%+ of this lot is Top facet grade with every stone easily capable of faceting an eye-clean to very slightly included finished gem and all of the stones are a nice size for Bastnaesite from the area considering current production. Please note that the Bastnaesite Mines have dried out. There are several new stones coming from the area; however, Bastnaesite has begun to disappear from the marketplace and this may be your last chance to pick some up at a reasonable price.

This material is EXTREMELY difficult to get a hold of and is highly sought after by collectors. 1 carat stones that are slightly included are selling for several hundred dollars per carat and this lot is a STEAL for the price! We have seen lots this size sell for far over the price we are charging in Pakistan and we don't know anyone else who is selling this material in the rough in the US at anywhere close to our price at the moment. The ONE stone we saw in Tucson during a recent Gem show that weighed in around 3 grams had an asking price of $250 PER GRAM! If you are interested in this lot please research the particulars on Bastnaesite to familiarize yourself with cutting properties. We don't know how much more of this we can pick up at a reasonable price so don't miss your chance to pick this up.

1. Bastnaesite is an ULTRA rare mineral that rarely occurs in Facet Grade and is the source of rare earth-elements including gadolinium, samarium, and neodymium. The recent finds in Pakistan have amazed collectors around the world for their size and clarity. Many small Pakistani crystals and stones have broken world records and the largest stones have left collectors breathless! Please note that we have received word that the mines are dry and there is a VERY limited amount of top quality material in the market.