Tourmaline with Lepidolite

Item Description

This specimen is a solid mass of gemmy green tourmaline, with a 5-cm-long central crystal, all draped in sparkling lepidolite. If the lepidolite had fully coated this, it would be worthless. It luckily has instead provided just the right contrast to make this a pretty piece, without smothering the tourmaline entirely. The lepidolite are sort of beige in color, quite different from the new material on other pieces here, but classic for this particular mine. The main crystal is pristine and complete (though the secondary crystal at its base is not).