MOZ4 Tourmaline "Paraiba Blue Cap"

Naipa Mine, Alto Ligonha, Zambezia Prov., Mozambique

4.0x 2.4x 2.1 cm

$750

Here is a new find from Tucson 2010.  I showed this and the preceding piece to a geologist friend of mine, and his first instinct was to identify it as beryl. 

Despite the hexagonal nature of the crystal, when it is flipped around, it can be clearly seen to be tourmaline.

This specimen has a brightly colored blue cap, almost verging on what could be called "Paraiba". It is actually a watermelon crystal, and  more interestingly, is hollow!

I consider this to be one of the more interesting finds of the show, and certainly among the most limited (there were only a few crystals, and these are the best two)