Tricolor Tourmaline
Gem pegmatite occurrence
A single elbaite crystal graded through green, colourless, and pink along its length.
Stewardship Records
- Species confirmed as elbaite (gem tourmaline).
- Full provenance dossier available on inquiry.
Formation
Gem tourmaline forms in the pockets of granitic pegmatites, where changing fluid chemistry during growth produces bands of different colour in a single crystal.
An upright gem tourmaline is best shown standing, where light passes through its colour zones.
Significance
Elbaite, the gem tourmaline species, can grow with distinct colour zones along its length, producing tricolor crystals — sometimes green, colourless, and pink.
Colour-zoned tourmaline crystals with clean terminations are prized both as gems and as mineral specimens.
Value rests on colour saturation, transparency, an undamaged termination, and the clarity of the colour boundaries.
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