Tourmaline (bi-color) (49.47 grams) (ex Richard A. Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

A fantastic old time Tourmaline crystal from the famous Cruzeiro Mine dating back to the early 1970s. This gorgeous bi-color crystal has a fantastic pyramidal termination with a reflective glassy luster and slight gemminess in areas when backlit. The termination is a rich cranberry Rubellite hue that grades into a lighter pink hue in the center and ends with a lovely blue Indicolite hue at the base. The piece is complete all the way around, with no major damage of note (save the bottom where it was removed from the pocket). I should point out that there is a separation mark on the back of the piece where another Tourmaline crystal once grew. The pyramidal faces are just a bit more lustrous than the prism faces, but it's important to note that the piece isn't frosted or dull whatsoever. It is becoming more and more difficult to obtain superb quality Tourmalines from anywhere these days, as a lot of crystals end up being faceted into gemstones. A beautiful miniature of this highly desirable material. Specimen weight is 49.47 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.