Kyanite

specimen number:
2292164

location:
Barra da Salinas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

description:
Lustrous blue bladed crystals of kyanite with quartz. In good condition. The crystals are an attractive blue color and very lustrous. Crystallized all around.

The Barra de Salinas district, located in the Coronel Murta municipality of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is a world-renowned pegmatite field celebrated for producing exceptional gem-quality mineral specimens, most notably multi-colored elbaite tourmaline and vibrant blue kyanite crystals. Geologically, the deposit consists of highly fractionated, complex granitic pegmatites of Neoproterozoic age that intruded into the surrounding biotite schists of the Aracuai Orogen. These pegmatite bodies feature well-developed inner core zones and fluid-rich pockets where rare element enrichment allowed large, gem-grade crystals of beryl and tourmaline to grow unhindered within clay-filled vugs. Artisanal mining operations, locally known as garimpos, began intensive hand-quarrying and tunneling in the region during the mid-twentieth century, with specimen production peaking during major pocket discoveries in the 1980s and 1990s. While large-scale corporate mechanization remains absent, small groups of local garimpeiros continue to operate shallow shafts and open cuts across the hillside, sporadically producing high-quality collector specimens into the 2020s.

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