SM20-454
Elbaite Tourmaline
Sosedka Pegmatite, Malkhan pegmatite field, Krasnyi Chikoy, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia
Miniature, 5.5 x 2.5 x 1.9 cm
$4,500.00 $3,375.00
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This is an incredibly gemmy and colorful polychrome Tourmaline from the pegmatites of the Malkhan district in Russia, collected in the exploration and stripmining of the Sosedka Zone from 2012-2018. This stunning, two-inch crystal displays superb gemminess, a fine termination, and excellent luster. What is more, the coloration is exquisite, blending cranberry, olive and golden tones for startling effect. The crystal is two inches in length, an inch wide and just over a half-inch in thickness. The shallower depth and gemminess accentuate these colors significantly. Crystal faces have a pronounced vitreous luster with the prism faces having light striations typical of almost all Tourmalines. There are several, shallow-angle internal fractures that add character due to the added play of light to the interior and a few slightly recessed blades of white Muscovite near the base. This choice Malkhan Elbaite has a mass of 36.1 grams. It is simply the top quality for color and gemminess that you can ask for. From a private collection, this was long held until the recent book came out on the mining project (Mineralogical Record, Malkhan issue, 2019), and is simply much better than other pockets of single crystals marketed previously and publicly (which is why they held back some pockets to sell at the end). Note that this is technically a small cabinet size for competition, as it stands higher than 2 inches, although I have listed it as a large miniature for the sake of being conservative.

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