Tourmaline var. Uvite gem cluster

Item Description

Beautifully gemmy and lustrous, these deep cherry-red Uvite crystals form a fantastic thumbnail cluster. In fact, these Uvites are so gemmy and red it is easy to think of gem Spessartine Garnets, except for the crystal form. These are one of the best known species that is not commerically mined from the Pomba Pit, with their distinctive tabular trigonal habit and colors ranging from rich greens to deep reds. The Pomba Pit is one of the largest Magnesite deposits in the world. Magnesite is mined to produce such things as furnace linings, flooring material, and it is used as a catalyst and filler in the production of synthetic rubber. Classic material from a famous locality, there is some contacting along the back, but the presentation side is barely affected. Formerly in the collection of Eugene Carmichael. From the collection of East Coast collector, George Elling, specializing in historic minerals of the East Coast and minerals from the development of old European mineralogy.