3.69" Schorl, Beryl & Feldspar - Erongo Mountains, Namibia

This is a beautiful matrix of schorl, or black tourmaline, beryl var. aquamarine, and feldspar from the Erongo Mountains in Namibia. Needles of schorl formed on feldspar shoot through nicely terminated, light blue aquamarine crystals. Although there are some minor abrasions, the crystal is in overall great shape.

Tourmaline is a crystalline boron silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Schorl, or black tourmaline, is the most common form of tourmaline, and has been used for everything from jewelry to piezoelectric guitar pickups.

Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(Si O3)6. Well known varieties of beryl include aquamarine and emerald. Naturally occurring, hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several meters in size; terminated crystals are relatively rare

Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals. It is also one of the most common minerals on earth, making up nearly 60% of the crust.