Mushroom Tourmaline
Dravite/Uvite, Na/Ca(Mg)3Al6(BO3)3Si6O18(OH)4
A rare mushroom-shaped tourmaline growth habit, typically magnesium-rich dravite/uvite, prized by collectors for its fungus-like cap-and-stem form.
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Color
- brown, tan, gray to greenish, often two-toned cap and stem
- Type
- mineral
Got a rock like this?
Identify any rock from a photo, free.
Overview
Mushroom Tourmaline is a distinctive growth habit rather than a color variety, in which tourmaline crystals form a fungus-like shape with a fan-shaped or rounded cap atop a slender stem. The cap is made of countless tiny radiating fibrous crystals, while the stem is a single prismatic crystal.
This unusual habit is famously associated with the Mogok region of Myanmar (Burma) and is highly prized by mineral collectors. The material is typically magnesium-rich tourmaline (dravite or uvite), often in brown, tan, gray, or greenish colors.
Because of its rarity and striking natural form, mushroom tourmaline is valued primarily as a collector's specimen rather than as faceting rough.
Formation & geology
Mushroom Tourmaline forms in metamorphosed boron-rich rocks and associated environments. The characteristic mushroom shape develops when a single prismatic tourmaline crystal grows a cap of densely packed, radiating acicular (needle-like) crystals at its termination, splaying outward like a fan or fungus cap.
This splayed terminal growth reflects a change in growth conditions, where many fine fibers nucleate and diverge at the crystal tip. The magnesium-rich dravite-uvite chemistry is typical of such metamorphic boron deposits.
The classic source is Mogok, Myanmar, with rare occurrences reported from a few other localities.
How to identify it
Mushroom tourmaline is identified by its unmistakable form: a prismatic tourmaline stem capped by a radiating, fan- or mushroom-shaped aggregate of fine fibrous crystals. Colors are usually earthy browns, tans, grays, and greens, with hardness 7-7.5 and a white streak.
The stem may show typical tourmaline striations and a rounded triangular cross section.
No other common mineral mimics this exact cap-and-stem habit, so the form itself is diagnostic. Care is needed not to confuse photos with other radiating minerals; in hand, the tourmaline stem and fibrous cap confirm identity.
Uses & significance
Mushroom Tourmaline is used almost exclusively as a mineral collector's specimen, valued for its rare and aesthetic natural shape rather than for gem cutting. Fine Mogok mushrooms command high prices at specimen shows and auctions.
It is generally not faceted, since its value lies in the intact mushroom form. Some pieces are mounted as natural-form curiosities.
Metaphysically it is sometimes associated with grounding and growth like other brown tourmalines, but its real significance is as a prized natural specimen.
Frequently asked questions
Is mushroom tourmaline a real mineral?
Yes. It is genuine tourmaline, usually magnesium-rich dravite or uvite, that grew in a rare mushroom-like habit with a fibrous cap on a prismatic stem.
Where does mushroom tourmaline come from?
The classic and most famous source is the Mogok region of Myanmar (Burma); it is rare elsewhere.
Why is mushroom tourmaline shaped like a mushroom?
The cap forms from many fine radiating fibrous crystals splaying outward at the termination of a single prismatic crystal, creating the fungus-like profile.
Is mushroom tourmaline used in jewelry?
Rarely. Its value lies in the intact natural form, so it is collected as a specimen rather than faceted into gems.
Mushroom Tourmaline guides
In-depth guides for identifying, valuing, and understanding Mushroom Tourmaline.
Mushroom Tourmaline identified by the community
Real specimens identified with Rock Identifier.
