Elbaite

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At 6.2 cm in length this tri-colour gemmy individual Elbaite crystal is a superb example of how good the gem tourmalines from Jos Plateau, Nigeria can be. With a very short, naturally etched, sceptred base, this quite robust terminated prismatic crystal shows fine translucency allowing its rich colours to come alive with good directional lighting. Beginning with a pale pink lower third, its colour shifts to a very pale blue before transitioning to lime-green before intensifying to a deep bottle-green tip. Its termination, although slightly rounded, is a classic tourmaline-style pyramid and is complete, but with one side stepped down to a smaller termination from a parallel identically coloured Elbaite crystal attached seemlessly to one side. Ex R & J Mayes Collection, no. RJM166, acquired by them in 1979 from R. Holt. A top quality, older Nigerian gem tourmaline.