Tourmaline included inside Fluorite ex Obodda

Item Description

This unique specimen is an intergrown cluster of deep-pink fluorite octohedra, completely infiltrated/included by a forest of dark black tourmalines, clearly and dramatically visible inside! I have never seen another included fluorite quite like this. The stark contrast of black in pink is shocking, and when you backlight this, it glows with color and contrasts. The piece is simply unique in my experience. The main large gem octahedral fluorite is 7 x 6 x 4.5 cm and really in good shape, complete except for very minor edge wear or slight growth contacts on the top, with a pristine display face measuring 7 cm across through which you can see all those tourmalines inside. It sits up nicely, and displays easily as a vertical specimen. It came to us years ago, in 2008 with the purchase of the Obodda collection and old dealer stock from his travels to Pakistan and Afghanistan over 40 years, but it was a large and massive specimen that was uncleaned. Removing the massive rock backside (with a trim saw) and cleaning the surface revealed what was inside, or we would never have known. It sat here for over a decade, because I did not know it was gemmy inside under a coating that obscured it. So, we present it at auction as a true surprise, to all of us...something unique, dramatic, and beautiful. We have nothing like it to compare values to, but it sure looks like a $5000-10,000 specimen on a shelf!