Watermelon Tourmaline

Discovered
1910
Also known as
  • Wassermelonenturmalin

Where it forms, where it's found

Geological setting

Granite pegmatite

25recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Physical

Hardness
123456789107 – 7.5/ 10 MOHS
  1. 1Talc
  2. 2Gypsum
  3. 3Calcite
  4. 4Fluorite
  5. 5Apatite
  6. 6Orthoclase
  7. 7Quartz
  8. 8Topaz
  9. 9Corundum
  10. 10Diamond
Transparency
Transparent
Colour
Green rims on red/pink cores
Tenacity
brittle
Cleavage
None Observed
Fracture
Irregular/Uneven · Conchoidal · Sub-Conchoidal

Optical

UV response
The red/pink cores may fluoresce chalky blue or creamy white in SW UV depending on the activator. Sometimes specimens show both colors in patchy or zonal arrangement.

Synonyms

  • Wassermelonenturmalin

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. —King, Vandall T. (2009) Worldwide Tourmaline Responses to SW and LW UV Light. Mineral News, 25 (3): 6-9.
  2. 2023Rizzo, Floriana, Bosi, Ferdinando, Tempesta, Gioacchino, Agrosì, Giovanna (2023) Compositional Variation and Crystal-Chemical Characterization of a Watermelon Variety of Tourmaline from Anjanabonoina, Central Madagascar. Crystals, 13 (8) doi:10.3390/cryst13081290DOI: 10.3390/cryst13081290
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Watermelon Tourmaline — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/watermelon-tourmaline-10889},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}