Tourmaline ex. Steve Smale Coll.

Item Description

I exchanged this from the well-known gem crystal collection of Dr. Steven Smale, mathematician and mineral collector (see his book on Amazon.com - The Smale Collection: Beauty in Natural Crystals). It was the largest of this style he still had, form a large find in the 1980s as he recalled. It is 48 grams in size and nearly 4 inches tall. The intense cranberry cap is really striking, coming after a maroon body. Despite its height, there is no repair. It is pristine except a small angular bit of damage on one back edge of the termination, where some attached mica was broken off I believe. A small bit of mica is still embedded in the termination. This is a classic style for the Cruzeiro, but not seen now in some 20 years. For the size, the quality of the color, and the locality, this is a good piece valued at $2500