This is a cluster of small black Tourmaline crystals that also includes a tiny clear Elbaite crystal. Another tiny crystal is probably Quartz, but it may be Topaz. This specimen weighs 2.5g. This interesting specimen was obtained in Afghanistan by Lawrence Handicrafts for the Rocks and Things Store.
The mineral name for Black Tourmaline is Schorl. It is an igneous rock that mostly forms in granite pegmatites. Black Tourmaline is always a solid black and unlike other tourmaline minerals it is never translucent or transparent. 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.
