Schorl is one of the fundamental sub-species of tourmaline, and is therefore distinct from the various brightly colored varieties of elbaite that make up the vast majority of tourmaline-based gem materials. While individual specimens of other tourmaline species can be black, schorl is exclusively so, and it’s relative abundance (95%) means that it is safe to assume that it makes up almost all “black tourmaline” encountered within the marketplace.

Schorl is named after the village of Zschorlau in the German state of Saxony, which is close to the tin mine where it was first discovered. It is noted for large and well-formed individual crystals and crystal groups, and these are typically kept in their natural form for mineral collectors rather than being sacrificed for faceting. In fact, schorl is most likely to be encountered in gem form as the featured inclusion(s) within tourmalinated quartz.