Rubellite, with Lepidolite ex Jack Halpern Collection

Jonas Mine, Itatiaia, Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Miniature, 3.7 x 2.3 x 1.7 cm
Start Time: 06/03/2021 6:50:00 pm (CDT)
End Time: 06/10/2021 7:05:00 pm (CDT)
Auction Closed
Winning Bid: $2,568

Item Description

This very fine Tourmaline miniature, 19 grams, is from what we today simply call the Jonas Mine - and from THE SINGLE FINEST TOURMALINE POCKET OF ALL TIME, to most collectors. This previously unremarkable Itatiaia mine, had changed hands several times before in the end, in 1978, a stunning pocket was found by the family of Jonas Lima. This is a classic Jonas Pocket Rubellite with its rich, cranberry-red color and striated prism faces. Add in a sharp, flat termination, good translucency with some gemminess, and numerous books of sparkling purpley Lepidolite draped attractively around the crystal for accent, and you have a high-quality miniature from this most famous of finds. Small crystals even tend to be priced by the centimeter, and the reason is that they remain distinct and immediately grab the eye, even after all these years. Formed in a lithium pegmatite, the rich lithium source lends itself to the growth of both the Lepidolite, a lithium Mica, AND the Rubellite, which is a lithium-rich Tourmaline. #1753 in the collection, Jack must have purchased this soon after the discovery. At that time, he was painting the labels and numbers on the crystals, and we believe the piece is doubly terminated from the shape of it, with a complete second termination under his paint. There are numerous references to Jack and his collection in print, but perhaps a good tour of the collection and its history will help give perspective on just how good, and important, this collection is: https://www.irocks.com/the-jack-halpern-collection . A great article featuring this discovery can be found here: https://www.gia.edu/doc/Gem-Pegmatites-of-Minas-Gerais-Brazil-The-Tourmalines-of-the-Governador-Valadares-District.pdf

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Bidding History

Bid Amount Bid Time
$2,568 06/10/2021 6:57:57 pm (CDT)
$2,518 06/10/2021 6:51:03 pm (CDT)
$2,468 06/10/2021 6:49:52 pm (CDT)
$2,462 06/10/2021 6:49:52 pm (CDT)
$2,412 06/10/2021 6:48:32 pm (CDT)
$2,362 06/10/2021 6:43:10 pm (CDT)
$2,312 06/10/2021 6:42:44 pm (CDT)
$2,262 06/10/2021 6:36:20 pm (CDT)
$2,222 06/10/2021 6:36:19 pm (CDT)
$2,212 06/10/2021 6:35:38 pm (CDT)
$2,162 06/10/2021 6:34:54 pm (CDT)
$2,112 06/10/2021 6:34:43 pm (CDT)
$2,099 06/10/2021 6:34:43 pm (CDT)
$2,049 06/10/2021 6:33:40 pm (CDT)
$1,999 06/10/2021 6:31:17 pm (CDT)
$1,971 06/10/2021 6:31:17 pm (CDT)
$1,949 06/10/2021 6:29:01 pm (CDT)
$1,899 06/10/2021 6:27:20 pm (CDT)
$1,888 06/10/2021 6:27:20 pm (CDT)
$1,849 06/10/2021 6:26:14 pm (CDT)
$1,799 06/10/2021 6:25:45 pm (CDT)
$1,777 06/10/2021 6:25:45 pm (CDT)
$1,600 06/10/2021 6:22:59 pm (CDT)
$1,550 06/10/2021 6:12:21 pm (CDT)
$1,500 06/09/2021 11:38:31 pm (CDT)
$1,498 06/09/2021 11:38:31 pm (CDT)
$1,448 06/09/2021 5:10:11 am (CDT)
$1,400 06/09/2021 5:10:11 am (CDT)
$1,313 06/05/2021 8:14:35 pm (CDT)
$1,300 06/05/2021 8:14:35 pm (CDT)
$1,250 06/05/2021 8:12:07 pm (CDT)
$1,200 06/05/2021 8:12:07 pm (CDT)
$1,150 06/05/2021 8:10:53 pm (CDT)
$1,100 06/05/2021 8:10:53 pm (CDT)
$1,050 06/05/2021 8:09:15 pm (CDT)
$1,000 06/05/2021 8:09:15 pm (CDT)
$975 06/05/2021 8:08:49 pm (CDT)
$950 06/05/2021 8:08:49 pm (CDT)
$925 06/05/2021 5:17:41 pm (CDT)
$900 06/05/2021 5:17:41 pm (CDT)
$825 06/04/2021 12:40:31 pm (CDT)
$800 06/04/2021 12:40:31 pm (CDT)
$775 06/04/2021 11:26:23 am (CDT)
$750 06/04/2021 11:26:22 am (CDT)
$725 06/04/2021 11:26:07 am (CDT)
$700 06/04/2021 11:26:07 am (CDT)
$625 06/04/2021 10:02:13 am (CDT)
$600 06/04/2021 10:02:13 am (CDT)
$550 06/04/2021 10:02:05 am (CDT)
$525 06/04/2021 10:02:05 am (CDT)
$290 06/04/2021 9:57:32 am (CDT)
$280 06/04/2021 8:51:11 am (CDT)
$270 06/04/2021 6:52:57 am (CDT)
$260 06/03/2021 11:27:08 pm (CDT)
$250 06/03/2021 11:27:00 pm (CDT)
$242 06/03/2021 11:27:00 pm (CDT)
$232 06/03/2021 10:55:10 pm (CDT)
$222 06/03/2021 8:39:50 pm (CDT)
$221 06/03/2021 8:39:50 pm (CDT)
$212 06/03/2021 8:39:44 pm (CDT)
$202 06/03/2021 8:39:44 pm (CDT)
$192 06/03/2021 8:39:37 pm (CDT)
$182 06/03/2021 8:39:37 pm (CDT)
$172 06/03/2021 8:39:30 pm (CDT)
$162 06/03/2021 8:39:30 pm (CDT)
$152 06/03/2021 8:39:23 pm (CDT)
$142 06/03/2021 8:39:23 pm (CDT)
$132 06/03/2021 7:44:35 pm (CDT)
$122 06/03/2021 7:44:35 pm (CDT)
$100 06/03/2021 7:33:23 pm (CDT)