Elbaite (1.26g)

specimen number:
1712706

location:
Barra do Salinas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:
A gem bluish green glassy terminated crystal of elbaite. In perfect condition and weighs 1.26 g. Very pretty when backlit.

Barra do Salinas, located in the Coronel Murta municipality of the Jequitinhonha Valley in Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a premier locality for high-quality pegmatite minerals. Geologically, the area features complexly zoned granitic pegmatites that intruded into the Precambrian schists of the Aracuai Orogen. These deposits are famous for producing world-class specimens of elbaite tourmaline, often occurring as slender, deep blue indicolite or vibrant pink rubellite crystals, frequently associated with cleavelandite albite and lepidolite. Historically, the district has been a steady source of gemstones and specimens since the mid-20th century, with significant artisanal mining activity expanding in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the most famous pockets were discovered by garimpeiros working small-scale underground mines that follow the rich mineralized trends along the Salinas River. Today, Barra do Salinas remains an iconic name in Brazilian mineralogy, recognized globally for the aesthetic perfection and intense color of its tourmaline and quartz associations.

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