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Mineral Specimens with Elbaite
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4.4 x 2.6x 2.5 cm. A classic and unusual, Himalaya "pink" tourmaline. This gemmy and lustrous, well-striated crystal has gemmy, lavender lepidolite crystals embedded on all three sides. Both terminations were broken by pocket forces, but have re-healed, making this a doubly terminated crystal. One termination re-grew a different color of pink and has cleavelandite blades, lepidolite and cookeite crystals embedded in it. The other termination has a very slight re-growth. Older material from the 1960s to early 1980s. Ex. Robert Whitmore Collection #47. Weighs 45 grams.
A wonderful, doubly-terminated Himalaya tourmaline. The color grades from pink, to green, to pink, and back to green again right at the termination! The top termination is classic and perfect, and the other one is really bizarre, the large crystal having grown around a small one, resulting in an odd U-shaped termination at this bottom end (but complete and undamaged!). this piece weighs 24 grams. i got it in trade from Bill Larson, who mined it in the early 1990''s. The mine is now closed. 5.3 x 1.9 x 1.5 cm
13.0 x 5.6 x 5.4 cm. This impressive specimen features a sharp, doubly-terminated gem crystal from the so-called “Rocket Pocket", 10.8 x 1.4 x 1.2 cm in size, perched delicately on the side of a knoll of crystallized cleavelandite with sparkling purple lepidolite in the interstices. Collected around 2002, this was considered at the time, in the context of having most of the pocket contents laid out on a few giant tables to be sorted, to be one of the best of this style in its size range. It was kept back by one of the partners in the Pederneira Mining venture, and then sold to collector Irv Brown. He selected it because it has very unique aesthetics and, unlike most of these larger crystals which have 2-4 repairs, it has only one very clean, lock-fit repair to the tourmaline crystal. I obtained it in exchange from him in about 2006. The Pederneira is shut down for the moment, and in any case the pegmatite which hosted this particular pocket is completely gone and stripped of crystals at this point. I admire the contrast between the large crystal with pyramidal termination and the two smaller crystals flanking it, each with a flat-topped termination. The balance of the piece, the accents by the sidecar crystals, the combination of terminations, all make for a superb specimen in its size class.
18 x 10 x 8 cm. This is a rare matrix bubblegum-colored tourmaline, perched dramatically at one end of a shard of lustrous smoky quartz. The tourmaline has superb color, a rich pink-red hue classic for this region. It has a nearly perfect termination with only minute edge wear and a glassy, unusually fine lustre to the top that lets you look right down into the depths of the crystal. The crystal itself is about 10 x 6 x 5 cm in size, though it tapers slightly towards the base. It is repaired, from a natural break in situ, at a point just below the junction to the attached smoky quartz and so the seam is really quite unseen from the front of the specimen. It is a good, clean repair job with minor restoration at the natural break, and without a jarring visual effect when displayed. This specimen was obtained from a direct source in-country, via email as it came out of the mine, by collector Gene Meieran (from whom I obtained it, in turn). Weighs 1.2 kilograms.
10 x 8.5 x 8 cm. Purple-capped tourmalines are quite rare, and this piece has a distinct purple zone, above a blue zone, on its termination. More than that, it is just a very fine and aesthetic tourmaline specimen by any standard, with the color as a bonus feature. It is, first off, not repaired. Most large matrix tourmalines from this region are repaired at least once, especially when connected to a quartz crystal as this is. And, the quartz and cleavelandite are arranged in great balance, not overwhelming but accenting the tourmaline itself. The tourmaline is very equant and robust, about 7 x 7 x 7 cm overall in size. It has an extremely unusual and glassy termination...intricately scalloped, for lack of a better word. It has many subtle growth features that result in incredible reflections and sparkle coming off that termination. I cannot say that I have ever seen this style of termination on such a large crystal - just on small ones, before. Lastly, the piece is shockingly pristine. It weighs 782 grams. The purple color, especially in a lustrous termination, is perhaps the rarest of all colors on a tourmaline. In particular, it’s very rare from this part of the world where they tend towards pastel hues of pink and greens.
A gemmy, lustrous and pristine deep-pink tourmaline crystal from the famous Himalaya Mine. There is a thin band of green tourmaline just below the termination, which adds to the attractiveness of this specimen. This piece is partially etched and has three purple lepidolite crystal clusters aesthetically attached to the sides. The backlit photo highlights the variations of pink and the thin green band in the crystal. 5.5 x 2.9 x 2.8 cm
7.8 x 6.0 x 2.3 cm. Old-time Cruziero tourmalines from the 1960s and 1970s, besides being beautiful and gemmy, were often very unusual. This striking specimen certainly fits the unusual, but very showy, category. The two tourmalines look like a capitol "T" or cross. Both crystals are doubly terminated, highly lustrous and striated and have deep green, translucent to opaque bodies. All of the terminations appear to be lightly etched and then overgrown with pink tourmaline. The "stem" was bent by pocket forces. Its single crystal base is heavily etched and the crystal diverges upward into many smaller tourmalines near the slanted "cap" or crossbar. The cap is also slightly bent and part of the crystal is very gemmy. This is a classic, old-time, highly unusual, but aesthetic floater tourmaline from this renowned locale. Ex. Duncan Elliott Collection.
7.8 x 5.4 x 5.4 cm. A classic, polychromatic Tourmaline crystal set against a large "sphere" of Albite (var: "Cleavelandite"). The piece comes with an old Harvard label that indicates it's from Newry, but I showed this piece to a few knowledgeable individuals who told me it was most likely from Mt. Mica. The multi-terminated, stout crystal on this piece ranges in color from black to a blue-black color near the base and grades into a rare lilac hue with green terminations. The interesting and unusual color combination along with the overall good condition of the piece makes it a worthwhile and attractive display specimen from this famous New England locality.
4.2 x 1.0 x 0.8 cm. A beautiful, gemmy and lustrous, "red-tip", polychrome tourmaline scepter from the Cruzeiro Mine. The lustrous, cranberry-red, pyramidal termination grades downward to a very gemmy pleasing green to a teal-blue zone. Below the teal-blue zone, the crystal is actually a sceptered watermelon tourmaline with part of the green outer layer etched away revealing the pink core. This crystal is complete-all-around and pristine. This is classic, old, 1960s-1970s material from this renowned locale. Ex. Steve Smale Collection. Weighs 7 grams.
5.4 x 4.0 x 3.9 cm. A gorgeous, robust, intense red rubellite cap around a schorl stalk makes this a very fine example of this rare habit from Mogok. I traded for it at the Munich 2009 show. The color is superb for the material. A most unusual tourmaline style.
6.8 x 3.4 x 2.2 cm. An extremely vibrant green color makes this stand out as old material from the Pederneira. It has a glassy luster to the surface that is hard to equal in tourmaline. The color is brighter and more sparkling then modern green-toned Pederneira crystals tend to be (though there are some exceptions) and when combined with the lustre, the piece really is vibrant beyond its apparent size. The little sidecar crystal at the base is broken off, and the upper sidecar crystal seems contacted (not damaged). The piece is complete-all-around, on the main crystal. Weighs 30 grams.
17.3 x 5.6 x 1.4 cm. This compound cluster of indicolite gem crystals is an unlikely survivor, from a mine and pocket in which nearly all tourmalines were found in pieces. The two crystals, 13 and 7.5 cm in length respectively, intersect dramatically to form a gun-shaped cluster. The 13 cm crystal is terminated at its top (left) end, but has a partially healed, perhaps in situ break at the right end where it sticks out past the junction (and it is possible this termination was "roughed up" a little bit after being found, by rubbing it to dull down an old break - hard to say). The 7.5 cm crystal stands straight up as I would prefer to display this piece (so overall a tan angle), and is terminated on the bottom tip, though the small part sticking up past the junction is broken off. Nevertheless, the major terminations are OK and in the overall geometry, the tiny junction termination and the secondary termination to the main crystal are both secondary to the overall form and the fact that, as a whole, this is unrepaired.
6.9 x 1.3 x 1.2 cm. A beautiful, gemmy and lustrous example of recent finds from the Pederneira Mine. This classic, polychrome tourmaline has a well-striated, striking teal-blue body. The very interesting, 3-sided, pyramidal termination is olive-green and has a very thin, very dark green or black outer zone. Background lighting easily penetrates the thin darker, outer layer of the termination. The base is etched, so this is actually a sceptered tourmaline. This is an excellent and gorgeous indicolite tourmaline from this renowned locale. Weighs 22 grams.
3.0 x 1.8 x 1.6 cm. A classic, bi-colored, "Himalaya pink" tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine. The body of this gemmy and lustrous, well-striated crystal is variable shades of the gorgeous pink, for which the locale is renowned. The 2 mm termination zone is a pleasing green and the pinacoidal termination is scalloped. The base is also a very light green. Highly representative older material from the Robert Whitmore Collection #4466. Weighs 17 grams.
11.7 x 9.2 x 3.7 cm. This is a highly unusual, large tourmaline cluster which is truly curved. The photo does not convey this well, perhaps, but the main crystal is tectonically curved, bending clearly over the cap of its sidecar (which is not curved). They both have a pleasing, rich blue color grading to hints of purple at the very tips. It is a bit bluer, when backlit, but our photo shows normal lighting from the front. The curving form is most unusual and very rare for this locality in particular. Most tourmalines subject to such bending during growth simply break, or break and re-heal with a messy join. Only the Himalaya Mine in San Diego is noted for crystals of such form as this, but those are pink and this is blue. Weighs 437 grams.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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share specimen![Elbaite, Lepidolite from Himalaya Mine (Himalaya pegmatite; Himalaya dikes), Gem Hill, Mesa Grande District, San Diego Co., California, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-270287a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-270287a.jpg)
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