Elbaite

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This colourful, gemmy, individual prismatic Elbaite crystal is a stunner from the famous Paprok pegmatites in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Reaching 7 cm in length and 1.9 cm wide, it is, combined with its excellent range of bright colours, a superb display crystal of gem tourmaline. Bi- or possibly even quad-coloured, nearly half of its length from its base upwards is a pale strawberry-pink with a sharp shift to a dappled grey-green with flashes of acid-green inclusions. Above this a very gemmy, clear, teal green zone gives way at its termination to a pale violet-purple tip. Its termination is extremely fine, complete all-round, undamaged apart from the tiniest of abrasions, and exhibiting complex additional faces to the usual three-sided tourmaline-style pyramid. With prominent vertical natural crystallized striations running along the entire length of the prism it is full of lovely character. Its base is a straight fracture from where the crystal was detached, but this allows the crystal to stand naturally for display. With directional lighting the intensity of its rich colours really stand out. Its lowermost pink section is quite inclusion rich, but still nicely translucent. A really lovely-looking Paprok gem tourmaline crystal.