MGR03 Tourmaline var. Liddicoatite

Andrembesoa Commune, Betafo Dist., Vakinankaratra Region, Antananarivo Prov., Madagascar

4.2x 3.5x 3.7 cm

$850

As I mentioned in the introduction, good matrix specimens are hard to find.  This piece does not come from the Tsarafara locality, so the feldspar matrix has not crumbled away.

This is a deep purple, lustorus and terminated liddicoatite crystal on matrix.  Tourmaline is what Madagascar is famous for, and in my opinion, the polychromes and the purple-pinks represent the finest examples of this material.

Pieces like this are incredibly rare.  To begin with, tourmalines in this color range are only known from a couple other localities (Jonas Mine, Brazil and Malkhan, Russia) and Malagasy pieces like this one just do not make come up for sale, especially on matrix.