Tourmaline (No Repairs!)

Unknown Owner

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Bill Larson mined the Himalaya Mine in its modern era of production, from the late 1970s until early 2000s when he closed it (it remains open under new owners, but the days of heavy drifting and exploration are done). The deposits here were subject to enormous shearing and breaking forces after emplacement, and the pegmatites show this clearly. To mine them, is more difficult than at some other pegmatite localities, as a result. Most larger pieces are also, therefore, found broken in situ. And it follows that most larger specimens from the Himalaya, and from other San Diego mines, are repaired. In all that time, Larson says he can count on two hands the number of large crystals of this size that were found in pristine condition, and on one hand those found without repairs. This is one of those very, very rarified large crystals found pristine in the mine, and not broken in situ or in collecting. Every now and then, I have something that Bill Larson wants from me, and the only solution is an exchange for a stashed piece from his private collection. This giant is 326 grams, and near the top in size for a single crystal from the mine. It is pristine all around and stands beautifully on our custom lucite base. The color is a pure, classic "Himalaya Pink" hue with a slight green zone near the lower termination. The lower termination extends out into multiply formed small points, and the top termination is classic, lustrous, bright and flat as is normal for the mine. Joe Budd photos