Tourmaline

Tourmaline (ˈtu̇r-mə-lən ) – AD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z

Ok, I started to list all of the possible variables here and to be frank, it can get complicated. To start with, Tourmaline is a group comprised of trigonal borosilicated of the cyclosilicate superclass. This group has more than 40 members. It’s a big group. In addition, Tourmaline itself has 3 species (Dravite, Schorl, and Elbaite) and 14 varieties. They are all in the Trigonal system and all have a hardness of 7. The variety you are most likely familiar with is Schorl, which is the black, bluish black, brownish black and sometimes greenish black variety we see most often.

Other Varieties include (but are not limited to):

  • Achroite
  • Rubellite (Pink or Red)
  • Verdelite (Green)
  • Watermelon Tourmaline