Gem: Green Tourmaline
Weight: 4.03 ct.
Dimensions: 16.3 x 5 x 4.7
Clarity: N/A - Specimen - Very gemmy in the middle
Origin: Mt. Mica, Paris, Maine - circa Summer 2007
Treatments: None
Comments:
It's very difficult to get a nice Maine tourmaline. Although the state had the biggest find of tourmaline in this continent's history, that was in 1972, in Newry, and most of the material is long gone.
Mt. Mica, where THIS piece comes from, is worked regularly now, but the mine owner has an agreement with a jewelry store, so not much makes it to market, except at retail price.
This crystal is from 2007 mine operations, before the min switched owners a few years later. It is a nice length to width ratio for a specimen, along with a crisp, nature-faceted termination, and lots of personality.
Let's start with the color - it's a great, bright, laser-like green, especially in the middle of the crystal, which is very gemmy and transparent. The terminated end is a little darker in color, and has a few little spots of cats eye texture.
The base of the crystal is a little crusty, as thats where this particular material from this particular pocket goes: it gets a little crysty at the line where it switches from solid, forest green, to light green and pink concentric colors, like a watermelon. As mentioned, this one is broken off at the base, right where that color switch would be coming.
The front, and adjascent sides are all lovely, and aesthetic. The back is crystallized in multiple overlapping crystallizations, and although it is all crystallized, and there's even a termination on one of the little crystals back there, it is a bit busy, and does display better from the other side (front)
if displayed with just a hair of backlighting, this crystal will look great - gemmy, textural, and a good glassy luster.