Brown Tourmaline, scientifically known as Dravite, is a magnesium-rich member of the tourmaline group. It is best identified by its vertically striated, elongated prismatic crystals and characteristic rounded triangular cross-section.
Is this brown tourmaline?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch brown tourmaline with a known reference. Brown Tourmaline sits at Mohs 7-7.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Brown Tourmaline leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Brown Tourmaline typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brown, dark brown, yellowish-brown.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-sections, striated prism faces.
Often confused with
Brown Tourmaline vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside brown tourmaline
Minerals reported to co-occur with brown tourmaline. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- NaMg₃Al₆(BO₃)₃Si₆O₁₈(OH)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Density
- 3.06 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Rounded Triangular Cross-sections, Striated Prism Faces
- Cleavage
- Indistinct
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks Like Schists and Marbles, Also in Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $10-100 per specimen
Where rockhounds find brown tourmaline
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Yinnietharra, Australia
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Kings Mountain, USA
- Okanagan, Canada
- Tanzania
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks like schists and marbles, also in pegmatites country — that is the host setting where brown tourmaline typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, microcline, muscovite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-sections, striated prism faces habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in New York — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify brown tourmaline?+
Where is brown tourmaline found?+
Can I find brown tourmaline in the United States?+
How much is brown tourmaline worth?+
What rocks look like brown tourmaline?+
What minerals are found with brown tourmaline?+
What kind of rock does brown tourmaline form in?+
What is brown tourmaline used for?+
Find brown tourmaline on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
