Elbaite Tourmaline

$3,500.00

$40.00 shipping
Seller offers an extended return window of up to 30 days
Ships from USA

Crystal ClassicsFeatured

Tucson, Arizona, USA

7,543 for sale·132 sold

A superb, ex-matrix, 8.5 cm tall Elbaite Tourmaline crystal from the classic Himalaya mine at Mesa Grande in San Diego County, California, USA, a locality which instantly conjures large pegmatite bodies pervaded with magnificent gem minerals, especially its world-class Tourmalines. The crystal is mounted vertically on a thick, clear acrylic base and has a candy-rose-pink prism terminating with a 4 mm deep delicate apple-green cap. The termination itself is a mirror-flat, smooth pinacoid displaying rounded trigonal symmetry. It must be pointed out that there are two adjacent bruised patches at one pinacoid edge, but these do not distract at all from the crystal's appearance and aesthetic. The prism is generally translucent but does contain many semi-transparent zones. The prism faces are vertically striated, and one is preferentially overgrown by patchy but prevailing white Albite Feldspar and part crystals of lavender Lepidolite mica. This delightful Elbaite comes with an Arnold Fisher label, a former British mineral dealer remembered with great affection.