Rubellite Tourmaline on Quartz
Malkhan Pegmatite Field, Krasnyi Chikoy,
Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia
25cm tall X 22.3cm wide
Two elongated tourmaline crystals explode from milky white quartz crystals. The long tourmaline crystals possess a deep cranberry color placing them with the best of the rubellite family. This specimen possesses a dynamic bold form using both color and texture to express the best of this locality.
According to The Mineralogical Record, “Malkhan has produced some of the largest and finest specimens of colored tourmaline, especially rubellite, in the world, rivaling discoveries from Brazil, California, Madagascar, and Afghanistan”.
This discovery of rubellite tourmaline in a remote and mountainous area of Russia, about 100 km north of the Mongolian border, forever altered our perception of the species. Tourmaline had been known from this region for well over 100 years, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that mining in the region became of great interest. However, internationally, mineral collectors were unfamiliar with these important rubellite tourmalines. By 2015, a few magnificent examples appeared. These were quickly absorbed into collections around the world and recognized as being among the world’s finest tourmalines.