A Kaleidoscope in Crystal Form
Tourmaline is among the most visually stunning gemstones in the world—capable of dazzling in nearly every hue. With colors ranging from black and white to electric blue, green, pink, red, and even multicolored formations like watermelon, tourmaline’s crystalline beauty invites endless fascination. Wikipedia
Africa’s Vibrant Contribution to Tourmaline Lore
Africa hosts significant tourmaline deposits—among them, Nigeria stands out for its rich variety of colors and unique types. Particularly prized is the Paraíba-style copper-bearing tourmaline, renowned for its electric blue-green color, found only in Brazil, Mozambique, and Nigeria. LongdomWikipedia
Nigeria’s Many-Colored Gem
Nigeria’s tourmaline landscape is richly diverse—both geologically and geographically. It includes:
- Paraíba-type (copper-bearing) tourmalines, offering stunning neon blues and greens, first noted in Nigeria around 2000 near Ilorin, Kwara State Longdom.
- A spectrum of varieties: rubellite (pink–red), indicolite (blue), verdalite (green), schorl (black), and more LongdomFinelib.
- Exceptional gems discovered across Oyo, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti, Kogi, Bauchi, Plateau, Ondo, Ogun, Kano, and Nasarawa States FinelibLongdomInfoGuide Nigeria.
- Recognized mining zones include Itasa (Oyo State), Oro (Kwara), Keffi/Saura (Nasarawa), Kagarko/Gidan Waya (Kaduna), and more Longdom.