Dravite (Tourmaline)

Item Description

Please note that this specimen is erroneously labeled as coming from "Mexico", but this was clearly a mistake as the piece is most certainly from the Yinnietharra Mine. What really sets this piece apart from most we've had to offer from this locality is the impressive size and QUALITY of the Dravite itself, along with the fact that it has a bit of attached matrix, which is not terribly common for this material. The robust, deep bronzey colored trigonal crystal measures 5.7 cm with sharp, well-formed lustrous faces with attached Mica and Feldspar matrix on one side. One of the corners of the Dravite is contacted, but the piece is in great shape all around otherwise. Many times these crystals with have "pockmarks" where the matrix has been removed to better expose the Tourmaline crystals, but this piece has beautifully smooth faces all over. A very impressive example of these classic rare Tourmaline crystals. This piece comes to us from the legendary Ron Romanella (February 28, 1932 - October 24, 2022), a well-known gem and mineral dealer from New York City. He studied mineralogy at Columbia School of Mines, and he was mentored by Dr. Frederick Pough of the American Museum of Natural History, and learned about the business side from well-known mineral dealers Hugh Ford and Maurice Hammoneau. Ron himself was a mentor to other successful East Coast mineral dealers such as Larry Conklin, Herb Obodda and even employed Dave Wilber for a time. He largely transitioned out of selling minerals as his business focused more on gems for the last few decades, and his sons Michael and Jerry have been running the family business in Scottsdale for many years now. With that said, Ron was one of the great powerhouse mineral dealers in the US for many years, offering fine quality specimens and gem crystals from classic and contemporary localities. Among his top achievements, is that Ron is credited with importing the first known crystals of Tanzanite into the US in the 1960s.