T08-APA01
Apatite With Tourmaline
Shengus, Haramosh Mtns, Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan
Miniature, 4.2 x 3.7 x 3.4 cm
SOLD
This is a very unusual apatite specimen from a new find in the area, not to be confused with the typical Pakistani apatites from Chumar Bakhoor. This piece has a very impressive 4 x 3 x 2 cm apatite crystal with the unique rich maroon-pink color that is apparently characteristic of this pocket, flanked by a diagonal dark green tourmaline and a few sprays of white cleavelandite matrix. The apatite is almost complete all around, with just a few contact points on the right side and the lower back. Certainly it is complete on the display face. On the back, you can see that the apatite is impaled by and encloses a second dark green tourmaline, as well. The color in person is to my eye exact with the monitor...a much redder hue of apatite than we are used to seeing from Pakistan with deep color, not pastel at all.