Tourmaline from Big Blue Pocket, Pederneira mine, São José da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil - image 1

Tourmaline from Big Blue Pocket, Pederneira mine, São José da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This large tourmaline specimen features a unique aesthetic single crystal of multicolored tourmaline standing proudly on balanced matrix of lepidolite-coated cleavelandite. The blue color and sharp termination, along with the size, might make one at first think this could be from older works at Santa Rosa; and yet it is a genuine and special piece from the Pederneira mine. In aspect, and visual style, it might surprise people that this is from the famous Pederneira mine. This came out in the late 1980s, early mining at this location which was later made famous for production of crystals of a very different style from a different part of the mine. Such old, important Pederneira tourmalines rarely turn up for sale; and only a few notable examples (including this one) are illustrated in the book on the Pederneira Mine (Mineralogical Record: January–February 2015). Note that, like nearly all such large Pederneira clusters, this has acceptable repairs - in this case just 2 lock-fit repairs near the termination. Complete all around, 360 degrees. Brought into the country by well-known dealer specializing in Brazil at the time, Keith Proctor, it was sold to a collection in Phoenix. Later, brokered by myself and Wayne Thompson to the collection of Matt Webb in the early 2000s before modern production really started in earnest; and then we obtained this back again, although now we realize how important this was in hindsight. Despite all the mining here, this style was never repeated - let alone in the size. Also illustrated in the book, Minerals of Brazil. This was long in my own (Rob Lavinsky) personal collection of only 10 Brazilian pieces I had put away in the mid-2000s.