Details
Species
Tur
Description
The famous Tourmaline King Mine, as well as the nearby Tourmaline Queen, supplied tourmaline to the Empress Dowager CiXi of China as far back as the late 1800s. A particularly notable pocket from the King Mine emerged in 1906, and at the time it was a prime source of pink tourmaline for carving. Specimens survived only in a few major American Museums where we have seen them (largely donated by wealthy collectors). The Queen was reworked in the 1970s by Bill Larson and Ed Swoboda, resulting in the legendary Bluecap (1972) and SixPack (1984) pockets, making it famous in today's generations of collectors; but most people had completely forgotten about the King Mine. It sat unworked (mostly) for nearly 100 years before modern mining was resumed by a dedicated team of new owners, driving tunnel and moving huge amounts of rock to intersect old veins and levels where tourmaline had been found in the early 1900s. Bill Larson (now nearly 80 and still vibrant with a stunning memory and a nose for where to dig tourmaline), as a consultant to the project, was given a number of specimens to sell from the production of 2023, from which I obtained a small selection. This is one of the biggest unrepaired crystals with good color and translucency. It really opens with some backlighting, but actually looks good in even room light or sunlight, as well. It is complete around the top with some small edge wear and contacting, but acceptable for the size...something not seen in, literally, 100 years. 618 grams = 1.36 pounds! Please note the video photo has only modest reflected lighting, while the more hot colorful photo is shot in a studio setting with good backlighting.
Known provenanceKnowing where your specimen comes from and who owned it adds to its story and value. Good provenance helps prove it's authentic and preserves important details about its discovery.
Richardson, Texas, USA
Unknown previous owners
Earth
More from this sellerExplore all
