ELBAITE
Specimen elb-48
$ 80.00Dims: 6.2 x 3.8 x 3.3" (15.7 x 9.7 xc 8.4 cm)
Wt: 2 lbs., 4.7 oz. (1.040 kg)
Minas Gerais, Brazil
Evidence of at least 6 different Elbaite crystals rest in the pegmatite host of this large hand specimen. These crystals reach lengths of up to 3" (7.5 cm) and are all in fair to poor condition, as each exposed surface is badly damaged. There are some areas of intact faces present, but all are incomplete and rather heavily fractured. Most show the pink and green colorations that represent the watermelon variety of Elbaite, but a few crystals have a pure red color with a strong violet tinge that is the deepest that I have ever seen in this species. Portions are transparent, but the crystals are translucent as a whole. The Elbaites are accompanied by both muscovite and lepidolite- though they are also damaged, I find the lepidolite books rather impressive in both size and coloration. The smoky quartz that makes up part of the host rock shows some definite crystal form in one area.