TOURMALINE, variety RUBELLITE on Quartz. Three, translucent crystals with cranberry red color. Luster is vitreous. Sides are striated. The longest crystal is 1.2 inches in length. From the famous Cruzeiro Mine in Brazil.
This piece is from the collection of Roger Maynard. Roger is a friend and was a long-time geologist with the US Geological Survey in New Mexico.
RUBELLITE is the red, lithium-rich variety of the Tourmaline group. It is a sodium, lithium, aluminum, boro-silicate mineral. The crystal system is Trigonal. Hardness is 7 – 7.5 on the Mohs scale.Â
Location: Cruzeiro mine, São José da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The Cruzeiro Mine is one of the most important gem and specimen mines in the world. It has been mined for tourmalines and other mineral specimens since the 1950’s. There are at least five distinct pegmatites worked in the mine.
Specimen size: 1.8 x 0.8 x 0.8 inches
Specimen weight: 15 grams (0.5 ounces)
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