Elbaite with Lepidolite

specimen number:
2292220

location:
Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:
A deep purplish red lustrous partly gemmy crystal of elbaite with minor lepidolite. In good condition all around. This weighs 10.31 g.

The gem mining region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, centered within the Eastern Brazilian Pegmatite Province, is one of the world's premier sources of colored gemstones, including tourmaline, aquamarine, topaz, and kunzite. Geologically, these world-class deposits are hosted within an extensive belt of complex granitic pegmatites that intruded Neoproterozoic metamorphic rocks during the late Brasiliano orogeny roughly 500 to 600 million years ago. As these late-stage granitic fluids slowly cooled, the concentration of volatile components like boron and lithium facilitated the growth of large, well-formed crystals within specialized pocket zones. Historical exploration and artisanal mining by independent prospectors, locally known as garimpeiros, dates back to the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, though systematic gemstone extraction expanded significantly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries following the decline of the region's historic gold and diamond rushes. While mechanical operations and underground mining surged during the mid-twentieth century to supply industrial minerals like mica alongside gem material, modern extraction continues into the 2020s through a mix of small-scale artisanal digs and modernized open-pit quarries that continue to supply global gemstone markets.

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