Green tourmaline with red cap - quartz on lepidolite Mineral Collection - Height: 9.5 cm - Width: 8 cm- 275 g - (1)

Tourmalines are a group of minerals belonging to the silicates class, order of the cyclosilicates. The name derives from the Sinhalese 'turmali', which literally means 'mixed package', or 'stone of various colors'; it previously referred to the name of crystals brought to Europe from Ceylon. The crystal belongs to the trigonal system, appears prismatic, very elongated, vertically striated, and sometimes with uneven development at the two ends of the vertical axis. Its color depends on the chemical composition and may not be uniform throughout the crystal.