Tourmaline

Unknown Owner

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This tourmaline is remarkable in several respects. Firstly, it is simply large and unrepaired. THose of you familiar with the Himalaya pegs know that large tourmalines are almost always repaired from this area because the pegs were so disrupted and mining so difficult. A crystal of this size is rare in one piece. Secondly, it exhibits a natural bend which occurred during growth due to just such disruptions which changed the axis of crystal growth during the history of growth for this specimen without causing a break per se. It can happen at other mines, but the Himalaya is actually fairly well known for this type of event...though again, I have seen the phenomenon in smaller crystals and not big fatties like this one. The piece has moderately good color and a glassy termination (always somethign to look out for in better Himalayas!) with a thin green band atop that is visible from the sides though not from above. The termination IS complete, though a little rough on the back cm or so where it seems to have grown in contact with the pocket or another mineral. No damage to this beast! Lastly, despite the thickness of the crystal, it is 100% translucent when backlit even weakly and hence makes for great carving rough, dare I say?! 14 x 4.1 x 3.7 cm