Bi-colored Tourmalines & Quartz (Larson Coll.)

Item Description

Unusual and uncommon colors on this excellent 3-piece suite of bi-colored tourmalines from the famous Stewart Mine. The mine is renowned for gorgeous, "hot-pink" tourmaline, but has also produced very fine bi-colored tourmalines, such as these very fine pristine examples from the late 1960s and early 70s finds. The large trigonal crystal has a schorl core with a teal-green rind followed by gemmy teal-green, indicolite-blue and subtle purple areas below the matte frosted termination embedded with feldspar. The second trigonal crystal is dramatically accented with a wreath of quartz crystals. The gemmy to translcuent prism is mostly a beautiful variable indicolite-blue. An indicolite rind encloses the schorl base accented with tiny pink lepidolites. The beautiful small gem crystal with satin lustre faces has a pretty green base followed by an indicolite-blue section below the frosted pink pyramidal termination. Discovered in the late 1800s, the Steward was mined for lepidolite for lithium into the 1920s. Pala International (Ed Swoboda and Bill Larson) purchased the mine in 1968 and successfully recovered fine tourmaline, morganite and kunzite until 1972. The mine was worked by other operators into the 2000s. See the 2002 Mineralogical Record article in Vol. 33, No. 5. Ex Bill Larson San Diego County Pegmatite Collection and long on display at his Pala International shop in Fallbrook. An exceptional and rare trio of bi-colored tourmalines from the 1960s and 70s finds. Total mass is 29 grams. The large crystal is 17 grams.