Elbaite

specimen number:
2102390

location:
Dunton Mine, Oxford Co., Maine, USA

description:
Choice glassy bluish partly gemmy grouping of elbaite crystals. This is in good condition. Crystallized completely all around.

The Dunton mine, situated on Newry Mountain in Oxford County, Maine, is a legendary pegmatite quarry celebrated as one of the premier gemstone tourmaline localities in North America. Geologically, the deposit is a highly fractionated, complexly zoned granitic pegmatite of Devonian age that intruded into the surrounding Devonian-aged Sebago batholith metamorphic complex. This extreme magmatic differentiation created spectacular miarolytic cavities and pocket zones rich in lithium, boron, and beryllium, allowing for the crystallization of giant beryl crystals, lepidolite mica, and exceptional gem tourmaline elbaite specimens, including the iconic bi-colored watermelon tourmaline. The history of the site began with its initial discovery by independent mineral prospectors in 1898, leading to sporadic, low-impact quarrying for gem materials and industrial feldspar through the early 20th century, with notable activity by the General Electric Company in the late 1920s to source rare beryllium ores. The mine achieved its greatest fame in the fall of 1972 when independent miners uncovered the famous Big Pocket, a massive vug that produced over one ton of world-class green, red, and bi-colored gem tourmaline crystals. Following this historic find, intensive mechanized specimen mining continued throughout the 1970s until diminishing returns and structural limitations brought organized commercial operations to a permanent close in 1983.

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