1984 purple cap Tourmaline (Ordway Coll.)

Item Description

A juicy, multicolored, miniature purple cap tourmaline crystal from a small 1984 pocket here called the "Six-Pack Pocket" after the major piece within it. The glassy, gemmy to opaque crystal shows its six layers of color wonderfully with only a minimum of backlighting needed: the narrow frosted termination is purple; a light gray-blue zone follows; a pretty teal-blue zone is next; followed by a wider soft baby-pink; a thin, irregular teal-green layer; with opaque schorl encased in a soft baby-pink rind at the base. The photos showcase the colors. One side is nicely by a few cleavelandite blades. Complete all-around. The termination has a ding and a modest bit of edge wear. FEW of these exist to be had, the entire pocket having been hoarded by the collector at the time and only recently released at the Tucson 2011 show (sadly after his death, released by his family). BETTER IN PERSON! Difficult to photograph due to the contrasting colors. 27 grams mass.