Rubellite on schorl

The Khetchel site in Burma has been renowned for decades for its finds of tourmalines with a unique botryoidal form. It is the only known site in the world that produces these “mushroom-like” tourmalines. Despite the very unfavorable geopolitical situation, mining of these remarkable crystals has been successfully resumed after a long hiatus, much to the delight of the collecting community. In most cases, the crystals have a schorl core overgrown with red or pink rubellite. This specimen features a very unusual parallel intergrowth of two crystals. When held up to the light, the clarity of the rubellite and its delicate, deep red-pink color stand out. An interesting feature is the way the rubellite has grown on vertical surfaces; on one of these surfaces, traces of a now-absent hambergite crystal are visible.