Aquamarine Crystal on Feldspar - Namibia

This is a nice specimen that contains an aquamarine crystal that formed from a feldspar crystal matrix, collected from the Erongo Mountains in Namibia. The black mineralization that can be found within the feldspar is black tourmaline (schorl).

Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals. They are the most common minerals on Earth, making up nearly 60% of the crust.

Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate, with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Naturally occurring beryl tends to form hexagonal crystals that can reach several meters in size if given the right conditions. Completely pure beryl will be transparent and colorless, while mineral impurities frequently tint the crystals color in most specimens.

Well known varieties of beryl include aquamarine and emerald, although beryl can also be green, blue, yellow, white and red, depending on the incorporated impurities during formation. Red beryl is its rarest form, and can currently only be found in New Mexico and Utah.

Tourmaline is a crystalline boron silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Schorl, or black tourmaline, is the most common form of tourmaline, and has been used for everything from jewelry to piezoelectric guitar pickups.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Beryl var. Aquamarine & Feldspar
LOCATION
Erongo Mountains, Karibib, Erongo Region, Namibia
SIZE
2" wide
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#93694