Tourmaline (5.15 grams) (ex Richard A. Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

This thumbnail specimen is a lovely old time Tourmaline crystal dating back to the 1970s from the famous Cruzeiro Mine in Brazil. This beautiful tri-color prism features a classic basal termination, that is highlighted by glassy luster on the prism faces and intense saturated internal color. The strong pink hue on the termination grades into a slight colorless zone which concludes with a striking blue Indicolite color at the base in the center, and actually shows a combination of blue and pink at the base of the crystal. The piece is complete all the way around, and while there are a few small imperfections, there is no major damage of note (save the bottom where it was removed from the pocket). The piece isn't frosted or dull whatsoever, and almost look "wet" it's so lustrous. It is becoming rather difficult to obtain superb quality Tourmalines from many localities these days, as a lot of crystals end up being faceted into gemstones, but thankfully this beautiful specimen has survived for many decades. Specimen weight is 5.15 grams. This piece comes from the collection of Richard A. Kosnar, the namesake for the phosphate Kosnarite, who had a strong presence importing minerals and gem material from Brazil in the 1970s.