Tourmaline (multi-color crystals) with Albite (ex Dave Bergman Collection)

Item Description

Here we have a beautiful miniature sized Tourmaline specimen from the most famous Tourmaline locality in Pakistan. Keep in mind that all of the major Tourmaline localities are in Afghanistan, so there isn't much in the way of really great Tourmaline locales in Pakistan, outside of Stak Nala. This piece features two notably differently Tourmaline crystals, in both style and coloring. The Stak Nala pieces are famous for their polychrome appearance, and these crystals show a great mix of colors. The larger of the two crystals starts with an "Achroite" (colorless") basal termination that grades into an vibrant green hue, then into a very dark brownish-green / black zone in the center, and growing perpendicularly is a thinner Tourmaline crystal with a thin, almost "fibrous" multi-termination of a beautiful pink hue, that transitions into a lovely green color in the center and a defined yellow hue on the other end. The back of the piece hosts attractive white bladed Albite ("Cleavelandite") crystals for a really great touch. No major damage anywhere, and it's a far cry from your typical Stak Nala specimen as we rarely see two intergrown crystals with notably different coloring like this. Valued at $1,450 retail. 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". The piece was given to Dave as a gift by his son-in-law, Rich Kosnar in June of 1984.