Topaz on Tourmaline (rare combo)

Item Description

A cool old-time specimen from the famous Little Three Mine in San Diego County that dates back to the 1970s. This well-known locality near Ramons is famous for producing the best blue Topaz crystals from anywhere in San Diego County, and this piece is a neat example of said material. A few, sharp, lustrous, gemmy, very pale blue (nearly colorless) Topaz crystals are sitting atop a very dark green colored, thick, partial crystal of Tourmaline. The largest Topaz measures 1.5 cm. Unfortunately the Tourmaline crystal has some rough areas, but the Topaz crystals are in good shape, and how often have you seen Topaz ON TOURMALINE like this? Neither Topaz nor Tourmaline are rare in granitic pegmatites, but it's quite difficult to find Topaz crystals growing on a Tourmaline in nature. The piece sits beautifully on its own without the aid of a base or clay, and would make a great addition to any suite of pegmatite minerals, gem crystals or specimens from San Diego County. Valued at $1,000 in the inventory. From the collection of Robert (Bob) Reynolds who passed in August of 2020. Bob was a well-known fossil and mineral expert and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum in California. The rare phyllomanganate-chromate species Reynoldsite was named in his honor in 2011.