Tourmaline

Unknown Owner

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This specimen is a nearly pristine, slender crystal that is a VERIFIED King Mine tourmaline, said to have come out around the early 1900s; and which Bill obtained from an old San Diego collection perhaps 20 years ago. This piece was probably mined around 1900, and is the kind of material once sent to the Empress dowager of China when San Diego was a gem export center for the US, pre-WWI; and the Chinese carving market drove gem mining efforts. Few documented, bona fide King Mine specimens can be said to be in private hands today. Moreover, this is simply a really colorful and classic style for the mine, with a bright pink tourmaline capped by a faintly blue-toned termination when looked at from the side (but it looks colorless and then pink, looking down from above). There is some very slight wear on the edges but as it is a historic piece, I can give some allowance for that, since it displays very nicely anyhow, and the few dings are not so visually detracting. It is very tall, for an unrepaired, surviving specimen from this mine! Because it is slender, we think this is the only reason it was saved for a collection and not cut/carved. Interestingly, the back is fully terminated by complex microgrowth of minute terminations, giving it a silky look (lower-right photo). It is much bigger, much taller and broader in volumetric appearance than you would think from the weight, because of the slender aspect to the back of piece - which provides the additional advantage of making it more translucent to light. It is much more important for size than the above specimen (particularly as it is unrepaired), though slightly paler in color: hence, the price/size ratio difference. Both are outstanding pieces, important for the locality and history. Weight is 208 grams.