Fluor-Liddicoatite

Item Description

This Malagasy Liddicoatite commands respect - It is over four inches long and one inch across with super lustrous faces AND it's doubly-terminated! Overall it has a luscious red-plum color in any normal light, and in room light especially it glows and sparkles without too much need for backlighting. But strong light reveals its true color complexity within. With backlighting, the crystal has a greenish brown interior for much of its length, surrounded and capped with a lovely reddish purple exterior. The colors are complex, grade into one another, and typically amazing for a Madagascar liddi of old style. The top portion of the crystal, within about one inch of the termination, is completely GEM! The remainder of the crystal is gemmy to translucent with only variable amounts of internal crazing obscuring its gemminess; it's not cloudy at all. The lower termination has a white patch of what looks like tiny Quartz crystals for accent, wrapping around the bottom (and it is probably doubly-terminated beneath the coating). Mass is 149 grams. Accompanying label noted this was from the mining projects of Dr. Federico Pezzotta in that country (and we obtained it directly from him, to the point). It is a particularly fine, very unusual specimen of tourmaline from this country where, for whatever reason, nearly all tourmalines are the Liddicoatite variety and not the Elbaite varietals. This has particularly high luster, color, and quality without needing strong lighting. It is more shiny and glassy than most. It was valued $8000-10,000. Custom base included.