Rock Identifier
Quartz with Tourmaline Inclusions (Tourmalinated Quartz) (SiO2 with complex borosilicate inclusions) — Mineral
Mineral

Quartz with Tourmaline Inclusions (Tourmalinated Quartz)

SiO2 with complex borosilicate inclusions

Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale) for quartz, color: clear to milky white with black needle-like inclusions, luster: vitreous, crystal structure: trigonal.

Luster
vitreous, crystal structure: trigonal
Identified More mineral

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Physical properties

Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale) for quartz, color: clear to milky white with black needle-like inclusions, luster: vitreous, crystal structure: trigonal.

Formation & geological history

Formed in pegmatites and hydrothermal veins where quartz and tourmaline crystallize together.

Uses & applications

Used in inexpensive jewelry, ornamental carvings, and by collectors.

Geological facts

The black needles are usually schorl, a type of tourmaline.

Field identification & locations

Identify by the presence of dark, needle-like crystals embedded within a harder, often transparent or translucent quartz matrix.