MULTICOLOR TOURMALINE: "SHARON STONE". ...

Description

MULTICOLOR TOURMALINE: "SHARON STONE"
Pederneira Mine, São José da Safira, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil
"Sharon Stone" is the nickname that miners at Brazil's famed Pederneira Mine applied to this fantastically aesthetic specimen. Evidently; she made quite an impression in Brazil, among other places. Enough so that, by the time it was purchased by a dealer; the name had already stuck. 'Sharon' was recovered from the first pocket intersected by a new mine tunnel that was started in 1998. The specimen was hardly out of the ground before it became the focus of very spirited bidding battles by a number of interested dealers. It was acquired by Collectors Edge and subsequently sold to sound-track composer: James Horner of Titanic fame. Three years later, Daniel Trinchillo Jr. acquired it in a trade from Horner. It was then sold to New York collector Marc Weill in 2003. It remained in the Weill Collection for two years before Daniel Trinchillo Sr. managed to persuade Mr. Weill to sell it to him. The specimen is composed of three major Tourmaline crystals; all with flat terminations. The largest crystal is 6 3/8 inches in length with the others measuring 5 ½ and 4 ½ inches respectively. Each crystal exits in the matrix at a different angle contributing a 'jack-straw' appearance to the overall arrangement. All of the Tourmaline prisms start out with a pink basal section which abruptly shifts to pastel blue for a few inches before terminating in a final cap of cranberry-red Tourmaline. The matrix is made up of Lepidolite mica of a lilac hue along with white, bladed crystals of Clevelandite. Here and there, an occasional water clear Quartz crystal is hidden among the Lepidolite crystals. The overall height of 'Ms. Stone' is just under 7 inches without the base. There are some inconspicuous repairs to the piece but nothing out of the ordinary for material from this locality. Overall dimensions are 4 ½ x 5 ½ x 6 ½ inches. Ex Marc Weill collection, ex James Horner collection.

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