Elbaite Tourmaline (Slice)

Unknown Owner

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Although more commonly known for the finds of jeremejevite, Usakos, Namibia once produced small batches of tourmalines, with the last being found in the early 2000s. While Namibian tourmaline of any quality has become quite uncommon in recent years, this slice is a wonderful thumbnail-sized example of the material colloquially called ‘watermelon tourmaline.’ The richly saturated red-magenta core transitions to a pale to dark green ‘rim’ around the perimeter of this slice, giving the appearance of a watermelon cross-section. This gemmy and transparent slice glows with color when lightly backlit. From the well-known Namibian mineral collection of Shields and Frances Flynn, who self-published the book, Minerals of Namibia - From the Collection of Shields and Frances Flynn in 2018.