A highly unusual gem crystal, this is a tapered and hot magenta-colored tourmaline from the famous Himalaya Mine of San Diego. It has the classic body color and a classic green termination on one end, although it is also terminated with a flat termination on the other end (and honestly can be displayed with either end up, or even horizontally!). This doubly-terminated piece is unusual in several regards: the tapering shape, the dark cap at one end, and that it is unrepaired. Old material, almost certainly predating the Larson era of mining there in the 1970s and on. We found this in an old European collection and assume it to be from the 1960s or earlier mining by Ralph Potter, which produced some unusual styles compared to more modern material. 41 grams. Please note that these look best in room light or fluorescent overheads, compared to some case lights... Himalaya tourmaline shows a range of colors depending on the lighting.
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