BLACK TOURMALINE (SCHORL) - Brazil

BLACK TOURMALINE (SCHORL) 

Minas Gerais, Brazil

Black tourmaline, or ‘schorl’, is the most common variety of tourmaline. The crystals are usually opaque, highly lustrous and striated. It occurs in igneous rocks known as granite pegmatites. The best crystals come from Brazil and Namibia.

This specimen is very slightly crumbly (shedding the odd crystal now and then) but it is a good example of schorl.  It has a flat end so it sits upright on a shelf without the need of a stand.

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