At some time during the night on March 7-8, 2000, a person or persons unknown
broke into a hallway display case in the Department of Geology at Colby and stole
four (4) large, gem-quality dark green tourmalines, historical specimens from the
Berry-Havey mine in Maine that have been in the Departmental collections for over
a century.
Also taken were a large
dark purple Maine amethyst, and a disc of watermelon tourmaline approximately 3
cm in diameter and 1.5-2.0 cm thick, pink on one end and green on the other, and
polished on both ends. (See photo at right for a view of the pink end of this
specimen.)
The green tourmalines taken are the four specimens shown in the photos at the
left.
(Click on any photo for an enlarged and sharper view of the specimens.)
The thief or thieves obviously were knowledgeable about minerals, since other
showy specimens of far lesser value were not disturbed. A sliding glass door at
the rear of the display cabinet was pried and broken to gain access to the
mineral specimens.
Anyone who is approached by someone wishing to sell gem Maine tourmalines
resembling those in the photos is asked to please call Colby College Security
(207-872-3345) or the Detective Division of the Waterville, Maine, Police
Department (207-877-7515). We are hopeful that the specimens can be returned to
the collections where they rightfully belong.
