Elbaite (Tourmaline) with Lepidolite

Mounted vertically on a clear acrylic base, this elegant pink Elbaite Tourmaline crystal, 5.3 cm tall, is from a recently discovered gem Tourmaline pocket found in the mining district of Coronel Murta in Minas Gerais, Brazil.  This ex-matrix crystal is colour zoned between rose-pink and almost colourless Elbaite, with a particularly distinct, pink-tinged colourless band 1 cm deep immediately below a 2 mm cap of intense cobalt-pink.  This crystal has undergone one repair following a single break during tectonic disturbance while in-situ, a common tendency with Tourmaline pockets. The repair has been done by experts in this field, rendering it and the break invisible.  The termination is a frosted, completely flat pinacoid which displays subtle yet distinct rounded zones, indicating where crystallisation boundaries met and melded in the final stages of growth.  The prism is gemmy to semi-transparent.  Plenty of gemmy zones are dispersed throughout the slightly cloudy interior, itself caused by micro-crackled crystal growth.  The prism faces are coarsely striated yet mirror smooth.  Around the prism base, delicate lavender Lepidolite mica crystals form worm-like structures and nested booklets.  A stunning Elbaite Tourmaline with Lepidolite mica from Coronel Murta, Brazil.