Tourmaline Var Elbaite

This gem tourmaline is from the Smale collection. He bought the entire pocket in the late nineties in Washington D.C. from Pierre LaVille, (the manager of the mine). This is the last from this pocket I was able to get from Dr. Smale (I had bought and sold about 20 from him). This crystal is gem rough, which makes it very hard to photograph properly. It has a Maroon-red and green color.  The termination is pristine. There are  two incredibly small chips out of the backside (only indicated with a fingernail running down the edge), doesn't take away from the crystal at all. Many of the crystals from this pocket didn't terminate well, however this one is sharp. It is gorgeous, and very hard to find on the market anymore.