Small crystals, big protection

These selections of Black Tourmaline 3/4 natural crystals 22-36mm weigh 10-12g. They are from the gem-fields of Skardu. They were sourced locally for Rocks and Things Store by our Karachi-based partner, Lawrence Handicrafts.

Black Tourmaline is one of the most popular metaphysical stones and is one of the key crystals for a healing kit. The mineral name is Schorl. It is an igneous rock that mostly forms in granites and granite pegmatites. It can also form in some high temperature hydrothermal veins and metamorphic rocks.

Except for in thin section, Black Tourmaline is always a solid black. Unlike other tourmaline minerals, it is never translucent or transparent in its natural crystal form. It has a distinctive appearance with glossy long striated crystals. This structure and its other properties generate a strong piezoelectric effect, with electrically charged poles at the crystal’s poles. It is also pyroelectric, generating an electric charge through temperature changes. As a result, Black Tourmaline is a highly protective stone, able to block, repel and transmute negative energies.

You can use Black Tourmaline to remove negative energies within a physical space or emanating from another person. Black Tourmaline cleanses, purifies and transmutes dense negative energies into higher positive vibrations. It is used to protect against electromagnetic radiation (for example, from mobile phones and computers). It is also used for other disturbances and noise sensitivity. This makes it a recommended stone if you must live or work in a challenging or uncomfortable space.

Black Tourmaline has a calming effect, grounding unhelpful energies into the earth.

Location: Australia, Brazil, China, India, Namibia, Pakistan

Rarity: common

Colour: black, bluish-black, sometimes brownish-black, rarely greenish-black.

Crystal system/habit: hexagonal; prismatic to acicular, or may be flattened, with prominent trigonal prism and pyramid. Commonly hemimorphic and striated. Also radial, fibrous, and massive.

Mineral group/class: silicates, cyclosilicates, Tourmaline group

Lustre: vitreous, resinous

Fracture: uneven, conchoidal

Hardness: 7

Formula: NaFe²⁺₃Al₆(Si₆O₁₈)(BO₃)₃(OH)₃(OH)

Chakra: Root

Emotional: anger, anxiety, compulsions, criticism, fear, negativity, obsessive behaviours, self-confidence, serenity, stress, tension, understanding, unwanted thoughts

Mental/intellectual: clarity, creativity, understanding

Spiritual: aura balancing, cleansing, clearing, electromagnetic frequencies, extra-terrestrial’s communication, grounding, humility, negative energy, psychic protection, pollution, protection, purification, shielding, transmutation

Astrology: Capricorn, Earth

Numbers: 3, 4