Elbaite (2.23g)

specimen number:
1712711

location:
Barra do Salinas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:
An attractive loose gemmy green terminated crystal of elbaite. In super condition. This weighs 2.23 g.

The Barra do Salinas district, situated in the Jequitinhonha Valley within Coronel Murta municipality of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a world-renowned pegmatite mining locality celebrated for producing exquisite gemstone and mineral specimens. Geologically, this prolific area is characterized by highly evolved, complexly zoned granitic pegmatites of Neoproterozoic age that intruded into the surrounding metamorphic schists of the Macaubas Group. Extreme fractional crystallization combined with late-stage hydrothermal pocket development produced a remarkably rich concentration of lithium-bearing minerals, generating exceptional cavities filled with elongated, multicolored tourmalines including elbaite, sharp beryl crystals such as aquamarine, and spectacular, deeply etched pink morganite, often accompanied by well-crystallized albite and quartz. Historically, manual surface and near-surface underground mining via small-scale artisanal tunnels, locally known as garimpos, began in earnest during the mid-twentieth century as prospectors pushed north along the Jequitinhonha River network. Garimpeiro extraction intensified dramatically during the 1970s and 1980s following successive discoveries of major gemstone pockets, establishing a pattern of sporadic, labor-intensive digging that ebbs and flows depending on the discovery of new mineralized zones. Through 2026, while many of the classic historic shafts have been worked out or abandoned, localized artisanal mining continues throughout the rugged hills of Barra do Salinas, ensuring that its iconic bicolored tourmalines and associated pegmatite mineral suites remain premier structural benchmarks in fine mineral collections around the globe.

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