Gem: Tourmaline
Weight: 8.87 ctw. Pink tourmaline is 5.3 ct; Watermelon tourmaline is 3.57 ct.
DImensions: 12 x 9.7 x 7 (pink), and 10 x 10 x 4.2 (watermelon)
Clarity: Both are SI or so, although I would leave them both as crystal pieces personally
Origin: Himalaya Mine, Mesa Grande, San Diego, California
Treatments: None - these are sawn ends of crystals, butotherwise untreated.
Comments:
Occasionally I like to slice up a tourmaline crystal, and turn it into polished cross sections. I only do this when there is something about that crystal that doesn't make the quality cut. Usually it'll be a downright busted crystal, that has a section or two that wants to become a slice. But occasionally, it's something like processing a gem crystal into a gemstone, and having the termination left over!
I just happen to have these two very cool tourmaline crystal terminations left from previous gem endeavors.
Both of them have very complex, interesting crystallization, and I knew I wanted to save them from just becoming waste. So I was very careful to cut them evenly, and slowly, so as not to chip edges.
The pink tourmaline has a castle-like appearance, etchings, and a 3-spoke cranberry color phantom. The watermelon gem has crystallization that seems to be getting squeezed out of the top! It literally looks like the pink center is bursting out of the top with swimming crystallization.
The bottoms of these are flat, but not polished.