Tourmaline (Rubellite and Indicolite) (4.14 grams) (ex Richard A. Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

An eye-catching old time Tourmaline crystal from the famous Cruzeiro Mine dating back to the early 1970s. This gorgeous tri-color crystal has a fantastic, razor-sharp, highly lustrous pyramidal termination with decent gem clarity in areas. I love the glowing rich cranberry Rubellite hue that grades into a slight colorless zone in the center and ends with an intense blue Indicolite color at the base. The piece is not complete on the back, and has a separation mark where it was most likely intergrown with another Tourmaline crystal. The pyramidal faces are just as lustrous and the prism faces on the display side, and the piece isn't frosted or dull whatsoever. It is becoming more and more difficult to obtain good quality Tourmalines from anywhere these days, as a lot of crystals end up being faceted into gemstones. A beautiful toenail sized specimen of this highly desirable material. Specimen weight is 4.14 grams. This piece comes from the collection of Richard A. Kosnar, the namesake for the phosphate Kosnarite, who had a strong presence importing minerals and gem material from Brazil in the 1970s.