Tourmaline has been recorded at 17 places in 4 states on the USA Rockhounding map. Maine, Connecticut and North Carolina have the most. 5 are marked Ready, 0 Conditional and 12 research only, so check each place’s status before you go.
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Tourmaline sites by state
| State | Sites | Ready | State guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 11 | 4 | Maine rockhounding map |
| Connecticut | 3 | 0 | Connecticut rockhounding map |
| North Carolina | 2 | 1 | North Carolina rockhounding map |
| Colorado | 1 | 0 | Colorado rockhounding map |
Places to find tourmaline
Sorted with Ready sites first.
- Mount Apatite Park — Quarry & Mine-Dump Mineral Collecting, Androscoggin County, Maine: Ready
- Bethel Outdoor Adventure — Maine Gems & Minerals Sluice, Oxford County, Maine: Ready
- Dig Maine Gems — Authorized Mt. Mica Sunday Field Trip, Oxford County, Maine: Ready
- Dig Maine Gems — West Paris Tailings Dig Site, Oxford County, Maine: Ready
- Emerald Village — Crabtree Emerald Mine Dump Dig, Mitchell County, North Carolina: Ready
- Colorado Tourmaline Occurrence Guide, Statewide County, Colorado: Research only
- Redding / Huntington Garnet Geology Research, Fairfield County, Connecticut: Research only
- Portland / Strickland Quarry Pegmatite Research, Middlesex County, Connecticut: Research only
- Connecticut Pegmatite Districts Research, Statewide County, Connecticut: Research only
- Poland Pegmatite Research, Androscoggin County, Maine: Research only
- Dunton Mine / Newry Tourmaline Research, Oxford County, Maine: Research only
- Harvard Quarry Research, Oxford County, Maine: Research only
- Newry Pegmatite District Research, Oxford County, Maine: Research only
- Noyes Mountain Pegmatite Research, Oxford County, Maine: Research only
- Paris Hill Pegmatite District Research, Oxford County, Maine: Research only
- Tamminen-Waisanen Quarry Research, Oxford County, Maine: Research only
- Crabtree Emerald District Research, Mitchell County, North Carolina: Research only
What tourmaline is
Tourmaline is a complex borosilicate mineral that forms long, striated, three-sided prisms in granite pegmatites. Black tourmaline (schorl) is common; gem tourmaline comes in green, pink, blue and “watermelon” crystals with pink centres and green rims. Tourmaline is Maine’s state mineral.
How to identify tourmaline
- Long crystals with a rounded triangular cross-section and deep lengthwise grooves.
- Hardness 7 to 7.5.
- Black schorl is glossy and brittle; gem varieties are transparent and often colour-zoned.
- Found with quartz, feldspar, mica and lepidolite.
Where tourmaline is found
Maine’s Oxford County, around Paris and Newry, has produced the most famous American gem tourmaline, and several fee-dig quarries operate there in summer. San Diego County, California, is famous for pink tourmaline from the Pala and Mesa Grande districts, mostly private mines that occasionally offer digs. Connecticut, New Hampshire and Colorado pegmatites also produce tourmaline.
Rules
Gem pegmatites are almost all private. Dig at fee quarries or join club field trips with the owner’s permission. Black tourmaline can be collected in small amounts on some national forest land.
Questions
Where can I find tourmaline in the USA?
Fee-dig quarries in Oxford County, Maine, are the best-known option. San Diego County, California, and pegmatites in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Colorado also produce tourmaline.
What does raw tourmaline look like?
Long crystals with a triangular cross-section and deep grooves along their length, black in common schorl or green, pink and blue in gem varieties.
What the map statuses mean is explained in how map statuses work; collecting rules for each kind of land are in rules by land type.
Other rocks and minerals
Agate · Geodes · Quartz · Jasper · Petrified Wood · Fossils · Shark Teeth · Gold · Garnet · Sapphire · Crystals · Calcite · Chalcedony · Copper · Diamonds · Fluorite · Mica · Pyrite · Beryl, Aquamarine & Emerald
Data: USA Rockhounding atlas records, checked through 2026-08-30. See all rocks and minerals.