Schorl (uncommon locality)

Item Description

This is certainly one of the best examples of Schorl that we've ever had to offer from Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico. This area was the source of one of the more interesting Tourmaline discoveries (especially for any Mexican locality) and although pieces are rarely seen on the market today, they are immediately recognizable. This find was made in the 1990s, and this small cabinet piece is a very good example of the material. These Schorls often have a distinctive almost "fibrous" quality on select faces, but the crystals are typically thin and prismatic. What makes this piece different is that the crystals are much more robust and stout, showing a combination of smooth lustrous striations on the prism faces with the almost pseudo-etched looking, slightly chatoyant luster on the trigonal terminations. The largest individual crystal measures 1.4 cm. For reference, we actually sold this piece to Dave Stoudt nearly 15 years ago at a price of $750, and based upon the quality, size and scarcity on the market, I could easily see it in the $1,500 range in today's market.