Tourmaline

There is a quality to this piece that is hard to show in photographs. It has a profound chatoyancy when moved around a bit to catch the light and a slightly purple color. There are so many sub-parallel crystals so tightly packed that it reflects a satiny surface when the light catches it. This was in the Dick Nelson collection and formerly in the Harvard Museum. The main crystals termination was inhibited by matrix but managed to realize completion. The smaller main crystal has a trigonal spearhead termination. If you want a very unusual tourmaline to add to your gem crystal collection this one is highly recommended.

Locality: Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Composition: complex silicate