Tourmaline (unusually tabular "floater" crystal)

Item Description

Brazil for decades has been one of the top Tourmaline-producing nations in the world. This piece was mined in the early 1970s and is a unique and eye-catching crystal for several reasons. First off, it's a doubly-terminated "floater", crystallized on all sides, and when backlit, it shows a gorgeous green hue internally, but the most interesting aspect is that it's highly compressed in one direction, making it an unusually thin tabular crystal. This particular style/habit is rare in Tourmaline, regardless of the locality, and the fact that it's such a pristine example makes it all the more desirable. A cool oddball crystal from 50+ years ago. Specimen weight is 31.17 grams.
From the collection of world famous mineral dealer Richard ("Rich") A. Kosnar (1946-2007), who was the namesake for the phosphate Kosnarite, and had a strong presence in Brazil in the 1970s when he imported many gem crystals during that period. Valued $1,500.