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ch25 - Tourmaline var. Indicolite altering to Lepidolite - $ 4000 SOLD Elizabeth R. Mine, Pala, San Diego County, California, USA cabinet, 11.4 x 9.1 x 8.7 cm ex. Chuck Houser
A large, fat, equant indicolite crystal is starting to alter to multicolore dlepidolite here, caught in the act! I have sene fully pseudomorphed crystals from here occasionally, but small and ugly things in general. This one is really neat, and the matrix perch makes it a display-quality specimen as well.
ch38 - Lepidolite with Boromuscovite (boron-rich NEW SPECIES) - $ 450 Little 3 Mine, Pala, San Diego County, California, USA small cabinet, 10 x 8 x 7 cm ex. Chris Korpi ex. Chuck Houser
A REALLY fine and attractive lepidolite crystal cluster from anywhere, but especially from San Diego County. This is not just an aside or an association of muscovite here, but rather the new species boromuscovite (which, BTW, has since been granted species status) is present in abundance here as the white earthy stuff. It's a nice example, very rich. The large Lepidolite crystals in middle are 5 cm wide, and have a beautiful metallic lustre, almost a lavender color to them. These specimens came out of one pocket in the 1976 "New Spaulding pocket" and were extensively studied by Gene Foord, for their unusual chemistry. Recently, this muscovite variant has been formally accepted as a new species (thanks to Dr. Robert Lauf for clarifying this for me and correcting my earlier text)
ch40 - Stilbite, Lepidolite, Cleavelandite - $ 1600 Himalaya Mine, Pala, San Diego Co., California, USA cabinet, 10 x 9 x 5 cm ex. Chuck Houser
A superb specimen for the locality featuring the best stilbites on a Himalaya Mine specimen I have seen out there for sale, with sharp, fat crystals to an inch long. OK, so most of us don't rank the Himalaya as the #1 spot for zeolites, but tha tmakes it all the more interesting in my book. The association is great, too....little srpinkles of pink tourmaline amidst the stilbite on one side; and on the backside we have a beautiful combination of lustrous and defined cleavelandite blades atop sparkling purple lepdiolite crystals so the piece looks good from either side.
CK16 - Tourmaline with Lepidolite - SOLD Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California, USA small cabinet, 8.4 x 6 x 5.5 cm ex. Chris Korpi
A GORGEOUS tourmaline with naturally wet lustre of the highest calibre, backed up by a rich wreath of sparkling purple lepidolite crystals that adds dimensiona nd character to what otherwise would be "just" a fine single crystal. That actual crystal, which tapers slightly towards the base in an elegant manner, measures 8 cm long and about 2.5 cm across or deep at the top. This piece is so unusual for the Himalaya Mine that it was in fact sold out of the Wein collection as a Stewart Mine tourmaline for $6000 only a few years ago. The confusion was understandable given the rich pink/lavender tones of the crystal, which were unusual for the Himalaya and are induced in part as a visual artifact of the lepidolite behind the tourmaline. After showing the piece extensively within the County to experienced collectors, it became consensus that it really is an unusual and old Himalaya piece from the pre-Pala days (i.e. before 1970). As a Stewart piece, it might have been worth more, but as a Himalaya specimen it is equally fine (and priced lower according to my own feelings of valuation). Note that this large Himalaya piece has NO REPAIRS.
CK35 - Lepidolite on Microcline Feldspar - SOLD Himalaya Mine, San Diego County, California, USA miniature, 5.2 x 3.3 x 3 cm ex. Chris Korpi
An unusual specimen with fat, lustrous, sparkling, lavender lepidolite crystals forming thick barrel-shaped crystals to 2 cm! A lot of people look down on the species as a boring micaceous mineral from the Himalaya, but these fat crystals are good for lepidolite from ANY location. Acquired from the collection of Tim Sherburn, who got it while doing cleaning and prep work for mine owner Pala Intl. over the years.
CK4 - Hambergite on Lepidolite - SOLD Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California, USA miniature, 4.5 x 3 x 2 cm ex. Chris Korpi
A super combination piece featuring a snow-white 1 cm twinned hambergite crystal perched amongst lustrous, translucent, rich purple lepidolite crystals. Unique and visually appealing, too!
CK66 - Tourmaline with Gem Lepidolite - SOLD Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California, USA miniature, 4 x 2.4 x 1.9 cm ex. Chris Korpi
WOW! One of my favorite miniatures of all time for the Himalaya, with a GEM lepidolite sidecar crystal attached to the tourmaline! This tourmaline is exceptionally glassy and transparent, but the accenting transparent lepidolite crystal really makes the piece that extra bit unique and special. I acquired this superb miniature about 2 years ago out of the collection of a man who had been a roadside fruit vendor down the road from the mine and bought the occasional tourmaline, usually one of the better miniatures out of each pocket in the 1970's - always pristine and cherrypicked! Chris got it from me at that time.
CK67 - Lepidolite on Quartz - SOLD Tourmaline Queen Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California, USA cabinet, 9.4 x 9.1 x 6 cm ex. Chris Korpi
A truly amazing specimen of lepidolite, a species often relegated to matrix rock and not considered desirable as a mineral per se by advanced collectors. Well, this one should do the trick! It is a REALLY elegant specimen with crystals to 7 cm of sharply hexagonal, translucent, lavender lepidolite perched at the top of a quartz crystal. Pristine in front, though contacted in back. This is a significant and showy addition to any Himalaya suite that begs to be broader than a group of colored sticks, so to speak. It is quite simply one of my very favorite pieces in this entire collection!
CK68 - Microcline (twinned) with Albite & Lepidolite - SOLD Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego Co., California, USA cabinet, 10.1 x 9.3 x 4.5 cm ex. Chris Korpi
Previously from the Don Olson collection, this is a REALLY impressive rock even for those of us who are not exactly partial to feldspars...the aesthetics of the white cleavelandite and purple lepidolite crystals really make the piece special and accentuate the sharp twinning of the feldspar itself! Not a tourmaline, but nevertheless one of my favorites in the lot!
CK88 - Indicolite with Lepidolite slice of blueberry pie - SOLD Cryo - Genie Mine, Warner Hot Springs, San Diego Co., California, USA small cabinet, 9.2 x 5.3 x 3.5 cm ex. Chris Korpi
A glassy, fat, 5 x 4 x 3.5 cm BLUE indicolite sits here perched smugly on a pie-shaped matrix of crystallized cleavelandite - hence the (heatstroke-induced?) nickname given it by the Gochenours upon mining last year. Because of its form, color and lustre, this piece is one of the very best CG tourmalines found to date in over 2 years of active mining, for my tastes and in context with worldwide tourmalines. However, that being said, its even better by County standards because big fat indicolites like this haven't been found in 30 years, since mining at the Stewart produced a few....and those not as glassy. In fact the termination is so glassy you can look right down into it to a considerable depth (which makes the pictures worse than the actual specimen because the light refracts). I was EXTREMELY happy to find that Chris had purchased this piece just before selling his collection to me, as I would have bought it anyhow.
D06-145 - Tourmaline, Smoky Quartz, Lepidolite, Albite - $ 41500 SOLD Paprok,Kunar Province, Afghanistan cabinet, 17.6 x 10.8 x 8.1 cm
Bubblegum-pinks are rare , for whatever reason, despite the produndity of other colors coming out of Afghanistan. A good bubblegum-pink tourmaline is just hard to get ahold of...and o matrix, almost impossible! This attractive combination piece features a 9 x 3.75 x 3 cm crystal perched dramatically next to a slightly smoky quartz, with both showing freestanding terminations unencumbered of the other. The smoky has a slight chip out of the back (not visible or detracting at all from the front), but is otherwise complete all around 360 degrees! The tourmaline is pristine, has no damage at all, and is ALSO complete 360 degrees except at its junction to the quartz in the lower half on onee side. The termination is perfect. There is one very clean repair only, on the whole specimen, to the tourmaline about 1.3 up from its bottom. You have to really look for it, to find it, the job is done so well. What really makes the piece, though, is the accenting white albite and purple lepidolite at the base of the smoky and tourmaline, nestling the two crystals and providing a contrasting base for them to jump out from. It is an exceptional combination piece that I first sold in the late 1990s and have been trying to trade back ever since to do more work on it (which was done, to trim it to this level). I have not see the like since, in this price range.
D06-235 - Tourmaline with Lepidolite - $ 2500 SOLD 1978 find, Jonas Mine, Itatiaia district, Minas Gerais, Brazil miniature, 5.7 x 1.5 x 1.3 cm
Fine elbaites from the Jonas Mine are rarely seen in dealers stocks today, despite the plethora that was available in the late 1970s just after they came out. This one is GORGEOUS, as you can see.... This cranberry colored, transparent crystal is doubly terminated and has a halo of pastel pink lepidolite around the base. Like many of the Jonas Mine elbaites, the upper termination is rough but I cannot find any evidence of contact or damage there. It is complete. And, it displays phenomenally especially when angled slightly to allow its full gemminess to be seen even in minimal backlighting.
DTN5 - Tourmaline with Lepidolite - $ 2000 SOLD Jonas Mine, Itataia, Minas Gerais, Brazil thumbnail, 2.0 x 1.9 x 1.2 cm ex. Irv Brown ex. John Barlow
Quite clearly a competition thumbnail from this most famous of all Brazilian mineral localities for tourmaline, dating to the famous find of the late 1970s. A pristine, transparent, cranberry colored, elbaite with good luster is joined at the base by very light pink lepidolite clusters. If I was starting a quality thumbnail collection, this easily could be my first piece. Wow! It is STUNNING and the color is briliant and so bright and clean, that it is easily seen with minimal backlighting if any. ONE OF THE BEST PIECES HERE; though a common species, of superb form!
gem7-63 - Tourmaline var. Elbaite with Lepidolite - $ 2250 SOLD Pederneira Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil small cabinet, 7.3 x 3.4 x 2.5 cm ex. Dr. Eugene Meieran
A very colorful cluster of lustrous, multihued, purple-capped, gemmy tourmaline draped by sparkling lavender lepidolite which REALLY makes the piece by its accent and contrast. This is a gorgeous specimen, one of the few smaller tourmalines that Gene has long been reluctant to part with even though his tourmaline collection has long since moved to 6-inchers and longer crystals. This is an older specimen, probably from the 1970s or early 1980s; and is NOT from recent finds since the recent re-opening of this mine for specimen production.
GEM7-X1 - Tourmaline var. Elbaite with Quartz & Lepidolite on Cleavelandite - P.O.R. Pederneira Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2001) large cabinet, 21 x 15 x 14 cm ex. Martin Zinn
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)
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