Tourmaline (looks like Elba!) (ex Bill Larson Collection)

Item Description

I have to say that were it not for the fact that this piece is 100% confirm to come from Myanmar, I would have been certain it was from Elba, Italy (the type locality for the Tourmaline species Elbaite, and one of the most classic Tourmaline localities in the world). This piece features crystals with an amazingly similar color combination as many I've seen from Elba featuring classic "black head" (“testa nera”) terminations that transition into olive green colored prisms with small pink hues mixed in here and there which are sitting atop a matrix of soft pinkish colored Feldspar (presumably Microcline) with a slight overgrowth of white Albite and a few scattered little Quartz crystals. The largest Tourmaline crystal is actually doubly-terminated and measrues 2.7 cm long. Overall the piece is in superb condition, with VERY little damage to be seen. It's also notably showy and three-dimensional, making it all the more appealing for any fan of minerals from Myanmar or general Tourmaline enthusiasts. It should be noted that the label accompanying the piece states this is Elbaite, but based upon what we're learning about the diversity of Tourmaline species, it's likely that the crystals contain more than one species, so we're just going to label the piece as Tourmaline. It's not easy to get matrix display quality Tourmaline specimens like this from any locality in Myanmar, and we have this piece priced at $1,800 in the inventory. From the collection of Bill ("Burma Bill") Larson of Fallbrook, California. Bill is a well-known gem and mineral dealer as well as a miner and collector. Bill traveled the world for decades in search of fine gems and minerals, and was directly involved in the in-person acquisition and importation of superb specimens and stones from Myanmar (Burma). You can read his biography at https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/larsonwilliam-f/