Elbaite on Feldspar

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At 15.6 cm in length this is a very long teal-blue Elbaite tourmaline crystal from Coronel Murta in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is in fact two parallel Elbaite crystals, both rising up from a small wedge-shaped crystal of Feldspar. On one side of the specimen the tourmaline crystals are separated, and on the other, they are fused together. The shorter Elbaite crystal is nicely terminated and has a really intense blue tip with strong backlighting. The longer crystal shows much more complex growth and tapers considerably towards its termination, which is missing. This crystal has two repairs, one in line with where the other crystal terminates, the other much nearer to the tip. Both tourmaline crystals display lovely vertical striations classic for Elbaite prisms. The fact that the Elbaite crystals are attached to matrix adds to the dramatic appeal of this piece, but it does not sit upright unsupported. As seen in the main photograph backlighting enhances the rich teal-blue body colour of the Elbaite crystals, which although not gemmy are nicely translucent.