Tourmaline var. Liddicoatite with Manandonite - image 1

Tourmaline var. Liddicoatite with Manandonite - image 2

Tourmaline var. Liddicoatite with Manandonite - image 3

Tourmaline var. Liddicoatite with Manandonite - image 4

Tourmaline var. Liddicoatite with Manandonite

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Madagascar has produced some very attractive Tourmaline specimens over the years, including this riveting thumbnail. It features a lovely, gemmy to translucent, rich cranberry Tourmaline that is draped with superb crystals of the very rare species Manandonite and a few Quartz crystals. The Tourmaline is really quite stunning, with its sharp termination and scintillating red sparkle when properly lit. The luster is very good, and the faces of the prism are nicely striated. These specimens seem to be dwindling fast, due to political upheaval combined with the fact that the pegmatites which produce these specimens are really hard to access and low-yield in general. As a bonus, this is the rare variety of tourmaline , chemically, called Liddicoatite, for which the region is famously known. ex Rich Olson collection.