Tourmaline (classic material) (ex Dave Bergman Collection)

Item Description

A lovely example of these famous Tourmalines, but this one is not from a recent find, as it dates back to the 1970s. This piece features attractive, rich green, striated prims of Tourmaline measuring up to 1.6 cm free of matrix. The piece is actually crystallized on all sides, though not a complete "floater" as there are some contacted areas here and there. Most of the Tourmaline crystals are in good shape, though there are some broken crystals on this piece, so it's not 100% perfect. While the crystals might look "black" on the surface, the color really comes through with backlighting. From the collection of Colorado mining legend, Dave Bergman. Dave is now retired, but among other things, he was the foreman and primary person in charge of recovering specimens at the famous Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado during the late 1970s. He is also the maternal grandfather of Brian Kosnar. See Dave's photo mining at the Sweet Home on page 58 of Peter Bancroft's book "Gem and Crystal Treasures". Valued at $800 in the inventory.