Blue Quartz on Rose Quartz (unique rare color combo!)

Item Description

The famous Ilha Claim (Lavra da Ilha) is a pegmatite on an island in the middle of the Jequitinhonha River. During the rainy season, this locality can actually get submerged underwater, so collecting can be difficult, and good specimens from this famous locale are fairly hard to find these days. This piece is a unique and distinctive combo of two fairly rare hues / varieties of Quartz. Several sharp, lustrous, prismatic hexagonal crystals of "Blue" Quartz (which are said to get their color from acicular inclusions of Indicolite Tourmaline, but it could actually be from some kind of an Amphibole species) are sitting atop a matrix of pastel lavender-pink colored Rose Quartz to create a captivating combination of colors. The largest Blue Quartz crystal measures 2.2 cm long. Very little damage, and the association of these two recognizably different styles and shades of Quartz together is quite rare from this locality, or any Brazilian locale for that matter. If you're a Quartz collector, a fan of pegmatite minerals or general Brazilian minerals, do not miss out on this one. It's the only piece we have to offer, and I doubt we'll have another like it any time soon. It's difficult to ascertain a fair market value for such a unique piece, as I can't recall seeing another like it from any Brazilian mine. For reference this specimen is nearly 50 years old, as it was collected on November 15, 1975 according to Alvaro's collection catalogue.
From the collection of the recently deceased Alvaro Lucio, arguably the most well-known and accomplished mineral dealer and collector in Brazil. Alvaro graduated with a degree in civil engineering, mining and metallurgy from the Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto in 1949. He began his PhD in the United States and completed it at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He worked as a professor of extractive metallurgy at UFMG, and also as a technical consultant for several companies in the sector. He was the author of several works, published in books and magazines around the world. He received several honors for his contribution to the development of metallurgy and the introduction of metallurgical physical chemistry in Brazil. His knowledge, solicitousness and enthusiasm will be greatly missed in the mineral world.