Tourmaline (''blue cap'' crystal) (ex Dave Bergman Collection)

Item Description

Arguably, the most well-known mineral from the Pala District in San Diego County is Tourmaline. The amazing multicolor gemmy crystals are beloved, and examples can be found in nearly every mineral collection around the world. This piece is a beautiful thumbnail sized crystal featuring the famous and highly desirable "blue cap" basal termination, which grades into a slightly colorless zone, and finishes with a gorgeous reddish-pink Rubellite color throughout the rest of the prism. If you look down the center of the crystal through the "c" axis, you can see the blue color is actually concentrated around the exterior edge, creating a blue and pink "watermelon" style effect. Very good quality all around with excellent luster, sharpness and gemminess. No major damage outside of the base where the piece was removed from the pocket wall, just minor imperfections here and there. Specimen weight is 4.81 grams. From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures".