Tourmaline, Cleavelandite, Lepidolite, etc (1980s classic)

Item Description

A bi-colored tourmaline is aesthetically attached to the sculptural small cabinet combination matrix on this showy and excellent specimen from the famous Stewart Mine. A 4.2 cm (at the base) x 2.6 x 2.2 cm glassy, highly lustrous, well-striated, trigonal prism has a schorl body with a green rind. A 9 mm, gemmy/translucent green zone with a frosted, matte lustre termination dramatically crowns the crystal. The bladed cleavelandite matrix and tourmaline are peppered with pretty lilac lepidolite crystals, adding color and contrast. The back of the piece hosts sections of schorl crystals, to 5.3 cm, as a bonus. The Stewart Mine is renowned for gorgeous, "hot-pink" tourmalines, but has also produced very fine bi-colored tourmalines, such as this fine combination example. The large pegmatite was located in the late 1800s and was first mined for the Lithium in Lepidolite. See the 2002 Mineralogical Record article in Vol. 33, No. 5. This classic Stewart Mine combination is from the 1980s unauthorized high-grading period of the pegmatite. From the collection of Dr. Stephan Schwarzinger of Germany