Tourmaline (thick crystal) (ex Brian Kosnar Collection)

Item Description

Brazil is one of the great Tourmaline producing nations in the world. There are many world-class localities in Brazil that have produced some of the most iconic Tourmalines ever found. The famous pegmatite deposits around Virgem da Lapa are best known for the world class natural blue Topaz specimens, but every once in a while, some attractive and rarely seen Tourmalines come out of this area as well. This particular piece is a fantastic, robust, thick Tourmaline crystal with good gemminess when backlit. This piece is from a find in January 2010. Virgem de Lapa has not produced good gem Tourmaline historically, and this pocket was a huge and important surprise. The coloration and habit is distinct, when seen in person, really quite different than Santa Rosa material which it superficially resembles. This crystal is complete-all-around, but there is an indentation in the back (not damage) where another Tourmaline once grew. The surface is bright and glassy, which is important for these specimens, as many are rather dull and sometimes pitted. The color internally is mostly green, but there is a transition into more of blue tone at the base. The color gradation is more evident, and impressive in person, with the classic "black head" termination! Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the piece is the fact that the bottom of the crystal is re-crystallized ("re-healed"), so it's actually DOUBLY-TERMINATED. A beautiful large gem crystal, easily backlit and shown to its full potential. Specimen weight is 194.22 grams. From the collection of Brian Kosnar. Valued between $4,000-$5,000 retail.