Elbaite var. Indicolite Sceptre (Tourmaline)

The Mutuca mine, also known as the Mutuca/Mutuba Indicolite mine, was amongst Brazil’s most famous gem mines in its day. The mine was, and is, famous for gem Indicolite, the blue variety of Elbaite Tourmaline. The mine is situated at Santa Rosa in the famous gem mining state of Minas Gerais. This incredible specimen is a sceptred Elbaite, with a sceptre head of highly lustrous chrome-emerald green Elbaite below which protrudes a sceptre-prism of leaf-green changing to deep cornflower sky-blue. The head measures approximately 2.7 (tall) x 2.5 x 2.3 cm and the prism, 4.1 x 1.5 x 1.3 cm. The cut-off between head and prism is clean and precise. Both sections are vertically striated, the prism being more finely striated giving a texture and lustre of brushed silk. The head is more coarsely striated with the three faces having a bright glassy lustre. The termination is a triclinic, three-fold symmetric pyramidal star culminating in a Mercedes-Benz apex. This specimen comes with a custom machined circular clear acrylic base, with a computer-milled recess to accommodate the base of the prism. Stood vertically in its stand and back-lit, the sceptre is stunning. This is an incredibly rare and wonderful sceptred Indicolite capped by a green triclinic head. Simply magnificent!