Fluor-Liddicoatite (Tourmaline) (doubly-terminated)

Item Description

A beautiful gemmy Tourmaline crystal from this lesser-known locality in Madagascar. The crystal was originally labeled as Liddicoatite, but that species has now been redefined as Fluor-Liddicoatite due to the fact that the original material was analyzed as being F-dominant. With that said, it's unlikely that this crystal contains just a single species of Tourmaline, as additional research has shown that many Tourmaline crystals contain more than one species, so this crystal is could possibly be best labeled as being in the Elbaite-Liddicoatite Series, though it has not been analyzed, and it's impossible to identify Tourmaline species visually. It should be noted that the accompanying label comes from Dr. Federico Pezzotta, one of the foremost experts on minerals of Madagascar, and at the time it was labeled, Liddicoatite was a legitimate species, and most people agreed that these crystals were in fact Liddicoatite. Such is the state of Tourmalines, as the group is complex and constantly changing as new research creates interesting developments in terms of our understanding of its various species. This piece is a wonderful, sharp, lustrous, gemmy crystal with rich pink and orange hues, associated with a few tabular blades of silvery Mica (Muscovite?). The Tourmaline crystal is doubly-terminated, complete all around, and undamaged. The trigonal termination on one end has a bit of an Albite coating, for a nice touch. A wonderful example of these classic and notably eye-catching Tourmalines. Specimen weight is 27.9 grams. Priced at $1,500 in the inventory.