DV01 Tourmaline var. Elbaite

Malkhan pegmatite field, Krasnyi Chikoy, Chitinskaya Oblast', Transbaikalia, Eastern-Siberian Region, Russia

7.6x 3.0x 3.0 cm

$2000

A fairly large and well terminated polychrome tourmaline from the Malchan pegmatite field in Eastern Siberia.

This crystal grades from an orangish red, to yellowish green, to a darker brown green near the base.  There is no damage; all the edges are sharp and the faces intact.

Typically I have shied away from these as the prices asked by the Russian dealers usually start right about (or above) where I have priced this one.

The Malchan deposit is actually a fairly recent discovery, having been discovered southeast of Lake Baikal (near the Mongolian border) in 1980.  The locality has been producing in small amounts since, though on a scale far smaller than either the Brazilian or Afghan tourmaline deposits.  I will also add that the "warmer" colored tourmalines (reds, yellows, oranges) are known from fewer deposits than the greens and blues (which account for the bulk of the Afghan/Brazilian production.) To my knowlege the main producers of these colors are currently Malchan (where this one is from), and the various pegmatites in Madagascar and Nigeria.

This piece really lights up when backlit correctly.