Tourmaline

The “green cap” Tourmaline twins: This premier-quality tourmaline specimen hails from what is regarded as the preeminent pocket ever found in the famous Paprok District of Nuristan Province, Afghanistan.

The large, dramatically color-zoned and gemmy tourmaline crystals this pocket produced are exceptional even for a district that has produced a disproportionate number of the world's finest tourmaline specimens.

This specimen features a very large, nearly 9 cm tall and 5 cm wide group of lustrous, gemmy, beautifully-zoned pink tourmaline crystals which gradually transition to a pale peach-pink color towards the termination and then are capped by a dramatic neon-green zone. The intensity of color zoning and stout, "beer can size" tourmaline crystals from this pocket is reminiscent of specimens from the famous 1972 'Blue Cap' pocket at the Tourmaline Queen mine in California, which are now regarded as some of the most valuable and desirable objects in the entire mineral world.

Similar to that find, the pocket that produced this specimen was a exceptional one-time find, and I predict that over time, fine specimens from this pocket will be valued in a similar way to the famous "Blue Cap" tourmalines. From what I know the pocket produced less than a dozen major specimens, These twins are outstanding and the aesthetic is stunning.

Location: From Paprok District of Nuristan Province, Afghanistan

Measures: 7.5 x 8.1 x 5.7 cm in total size

And many thanks to Laszlo Kupi from Finemineralphotography for this fantastic shot! @finemineralphotography