Modern Art in minerals, I call this one...and family and friends who are not into minerals immediately "get it" when they see this in my case (i had it at home for a few years). This fantastic display piece is pristine all around, though multiply repaired and restored at junctions (as all from this pocket of any size were). The crystals exhibit an amazing juxtaposition of prismatic and flat basal terminations in a series: pointy-flat-pointy-flat-pointy right across the piece. Never seen the like, with so many examples of two different terminations of tourmaline upon the same matrix?! The largest tourmaline is 11cm and I can tell you that, as far as I am concerned, the price is reasonable because individual crystals that size or clusters such as we have on the right would add up to the whole pirce pretty quickly here, if it was trimmed and sold in pieces (the tragedy!). Stunning white Cleavelandite is host, and it is sprinkled with metallic purple lepidolite as well so that color abounds and everything is nice and sparkly. The gorgeous multicolored tourmalines (to 4.3 inches or 11 cm in height) stick up and out; while gemmy, clear, perfect quartz points grow amongst the tourmaline on the right side and stick out laterally towards the viewer in front (they are so gemmy they are difficult to photograph in contcxt here - better in person!). The tourmalines have a very 3-dimensional geometry, poking out every which way. When this pocket first came to light during re-mining projects to expand specimen production at the Pederneira Mine in 2001, it all went up to Denver to be prepped and repaired (all large specimens had come apart, and had to be put back together carefully using new techniques developed partly for the purpose). Zinn, a longtime Denver collector and longtime supporter of the company handling the pocket, got a few specimens from the find. This is one of those cases where, for the beauty of the mineral, even a sophisticated collector who might normally shun repairs , will readily accept them in context...so long as the result is as clean and beautiful as this piece is. This was Marty's pick of the lot for a cabinet sized matrix specimen, and he had an early shot at it, too. I have seen pieces at literally triple the price that I did not like so much as this one! It is, despite all the hundreds of specimens I have now seen over the years as the Ped ramped up production, still a unique pocket for combination of colors and matrix. Each pocket over the years has been distinct. This piece in particular always was, again out of literally hundreds of pieces I have seen, one of my absolute favorites and one I lusted after when the Zinn collection was sold. This is one of those pieces that, even amongst a tonne of tourmaline from the same mine, stands out. I would always want it back again, should the owner change his mind a ta later time. Comes with custom lucite base for easy display. (First photo by Joe Budd studios). Illustrated in the important book Minerals of Brazil, and in other places over the years.

Here is a great gem from what was for a short time one of the most productive localities for Rubellite Tourmaline in the world! The stone is a good size, very very slightly included, rich bright pink "Oval Brilliant" cut gem. This is a bright, but saturated and attractive gem. This stone is from the finds of Rubellite Tourmaline that came out of Nigeria about 10 years ago. There are few stones available from this locality these days, and I am told that the region which produced these spectacular gems is essentially finished. These gems sell for $300 per carat in the high retail market.

This is a FLOATER. complete all around. It has no damage of any note beyond the most miniscule ding. It is from the famous 1978 pocket, and these still remain the most famous and desired tourmalines among collectors. Clusters are rarified - and most of the specimens I have seen are either singles or singles in matrix of lepidolite. This piece has a stunning, total clarity and gemminess to it that the pocket is famed for having, yet most specimens actually do not have in full quality. From a private collection, this was stashed for about 30 years down in Brazil until only recently. Joe Budd photos