Tourmaline with Hambergite (twin)

Item Description

The tourmaline is nice enough, from this rare locality high in the mountains of Pamir region of Tajikistan. It is a nice enough tourmaline, with moderate luster, and doubly-terminated on each end. What makes the piece even more amazing is the sharp, twinned hambergite just sitting there on one side! The largest hambergite is 1.4 cm, and complete. It is sharply twinned! This location is famous for hambergite, less so for tourmaline. To find one atop the other, unrepaired, and in display quality, is....stunningly rare. You can see Dr Woodside valued it so highly that he paid a very premium price for this...over a decade ago. Regardless of what he paid one of his source dealers who specialized in rare pegmatite minerals from that part of the world. It is up for auction here and available at a reasonable price. It is, at any price, a unique rarity.