Tourmaline - Bicolor Steel pocket

Tourmaline, quartz, lepidolite, ~18cm

Bicolor Steel pocket

Pederneira Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Mark Cross collection

The Pederneira mine is the premiere locality in the world for tourmaline specimens, most of which were found during a bonanza in the late 90s and early 2000s. Nothing major has been found at the locality since this bonanza. The Bicolor Steel pocket was arguably the best pocket found in terms of specimen quality, though it produced only a handful of specimens. One of these specimens is considered by many to be the finest mineral specimen ever found. This particular example showcases characteristics that made this pocket iconic: a large (14cm) multicolor gem tourmaline pencil that grades from pink to white to green to blue, and then back to green at the termination. The aesthetic association of quartz and lepidolite really set this one apart!