Elbaite (1967 pocket!) - illustrated (Gioia Coll.)

Item Description

From the famous Zequinha's Pocket 1967 find at the Golconda III Mine, comes this elegant bi-color Elbaite Tourmaline cluster. Tourmalines from this find are distinct and easily recognizable by the pastel pink prisms with green tips so you can tell at first glance that this piece is one of those famous pieces. There are at least a half-dozen super glassy, translucent to transparent, striated prisms that are either entirely pink or some that have the classic green caps. The crystals are all in somewhat of a jumbled, sub-parallel grouping that shows off their singular features quite well and it's super aesthetic. The crystals have a marvelous pastel pink, lustrous column with some capped by a green-blue, satin lustered, pyramidal termination with opposing ends having a flat, pinacoid termination. The crystals range in size from 2 to 4.3 cm. This famous discovery is reviewed in the Mineralogical Record's recent issue on the Golconda Mine, vol. 50, no. 5, 2019. Most collectors only have the chance to acquire a single crystal when they come up only as old collections recycle to market- clusters of any size are rare, and this full miniature is a surprising find. Illustrated in a half-page photo, Mineral Collections of Brazil, 2020, page 117. This is from the multigenerational family collection of Mineral dealer Rolando Gioia and his son, gem dealer Bruno Gioia, and has been in the family collection until sold to us a few years ago. It was obviously purchased in Brazil when they came out and remained there until recently. We cannot overstate the rarity of a "Golconda" of this style - they are immediately recognizable, iconic even, in the tourmaline collecting world. Truly, go find another...and a cluster? these are priceless.