Purple Tourmaline on Quartz X

Purple Tourmaline on Quartz crystal X. The opaque Purple tourmaline crystal is about 1 inch long on a quartz matrix that is about 2 inches x 1.5 inches. This specimen was found in Nigeria.

Tourmaline Crystals are popular as gemstones and with mineral collectors around the world. Not one mineral but a group of boron silicate minerals that share crystal structue and many of the same physical properties, but with a variety of chemical formulas.