Rubellite on schorl, quartz

A treat for mineral-hunting enthusiasts! The Khetchel site in Burma has been famous for decades for its finds of tourmalines with a unique botryoidal form. It is the only known site in the world that produces these tourmaline “mushrooms.” 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. In the vast majority of cases, tourmaline crystals are found detached from their rock matrix due to the high degree of weathering of the pegmatite veins in which they formed. Thanks to the preservation of the tourmaline crystals on a beautiful quartz matrix, this specimen is completely unique. When held up to the light, the clarity and gorgeous red color of the rubellite really stand out.