Tourmaline
Elbaite (Tourmaline) with Lepidolite
ID:
CC20685
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.