Tourmaline (var: Indicolite) (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

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 beautiful multi-colored Tourmaline with great gemminess. Virgem de Lapa has not produced good gem tourmaline in any size in over 30 years, and this piece dates back to the early 1980s. This piece is pristine and complete-all-around as far as I can see with the naked eye. The surface is bright and glassy, which is important for these specimens, as many are rather dull and somtimes pitted. There is an internal brightness when the crystal is backlit. The color gradation is more evident, and impressive in person, with a colorless "Achroite" termination that transitions into a classic Indicolite blue with a hint more of a gren tone at the base. A beautiful gem crystal, and a great gem thumbnail for any collector. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#8340). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).