Luinaite-(OH) (rare Tourmaline)

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A rare tourmaline species - one that we had to look up, in fact: Luinaite-(OH) was a rare mineral from the tourmaline group, known for its silvery-green crystals and found at localities like the Bald Hornet Claim in Washington. However, studies in 2022 showed that its structure was a monoclinic dimorph of oxy-dravite, leading to the mineral's discreditation and reclassification - per MINDAT. Alex's note says, The species is one of the rarest of the tourmaline group with only 8 localities in the world known so far, with the specimens from Bald Hornet claim the finest known for size and aesthetics. Confirmed by SXRD analysis at University of Arizona. Species approved by IMA in September 2009. Illustrated: The Mineralogical Record, Arizona Mineral Collections II, 2020; 55(1)(Suppl): 155. Laszlo Kupi photo. Alex bought a group of these from Dan Weinrich in 2014, and Dan had somehow gotten them from a field collector at the time. This piece is not shown but another from the same group Alex bought was recently featured in our book with the Mineralogical Record, Refined Elegance (Mineralogical Record, Nov. 2022) on page 134 (we simply did not have time to find and photo all pieces, so the slightly lesser example made it in the book - but this is better, more elegant and vertical). Laszlo Kupi photo.