Tourmaline (Schörl variety)

This specimen is black tourmaline, known scientifically as schörl, the most common variety of tourmaline. It appears as a dark, nearly black crystal mass with a characteristic elongated, prismatic form and strong lengthwise striations visible on crystal faces. The surface shows a vitreous to slightly dull lustre, with uneven fractures where the crystal has broken from its host rock. Tourmaline is a complex boron-bearing silicate that crystallises in environments rich in boron, commonly in pegmatites, metamorphic rocks, and hydrothermal veins. The Para Para area of Takaka is well known for pegmatitic and metamorphic mineral occurrences, making it a classic New Zealand locality for schörl.