SOLD
T06-5
Tourmaline With Albite
Pech, Nuristan, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
Small Cabinet, 6.2 x 5.5 x 5.1 cm
SOLD
A hefty, fat crystal of good symmetry, that is richly garnished about its base by contrasting sparkly white cleavelandite and albite, with minor tourmaline bits mixed in. For the style, which is a classical one for the locality, one seldom sees crystals of this size without repairs or deforming growth features. The perfect-all-around symmetry here is unusual. It is even doubly-terminated, though the pocket clay on the bottom hasn't been removed to show that bottom termination. A tiny purple apatite, actually, decorates the underside as well. The piece is translucent, despite its thickness, even with minimal lighting. It is more lustrous in person. When lit strongly, it has another interesting feature - the inner core of blue in the upper half of the crystal starts to predominate and the piece becomes more blue-green than green, at least in the upper half.