Elbaite from Coronel Murta, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This very pretty small cabinet specimen is from the lithium pegmatites at Coronel Murta in north-east Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It comprises a flat plate of attractive glossy white (with hint of pale green) bladed Cleavelandite crystals from which rise short pale lilac purple pearlescent flat-topped prisms of Lepidolite mica and a taller (7 cm) pink and teal-blue aggregate of three parallel Elbaite tourmaline crystals. Although the specimen sits well naturally for display it is improved if the flat base is tilted slightly. The Elbaite crystals are not gemmy, but are translucent and look superb with backlighting, enhancing their teal-blue colour. The tourmaline crystals present very well, with great natural vertical growth lines but do not appear to be terminated. The rear of the main crystal is recessed, meaning that it is much narrower than expected, but this is natural and shows recrystallization surfaces where bright pink finely crystallized Elbaite has formed. There is one repair where the tourmaline crystals have been reattached along a natural fracture just above where they join the matrix, but the specimen has lovely aesthetic qualities.