Tourmaline

Tourmaline from the Himalaya Mine is classic material from San Diego County. The mine was opened in 1898 and quickly became one of the biggest sources of gem and specimen-grade tourmaline in North America. The pegmatite produced colorful crystals, especially the famous pink material that made the Mesa Grande district so well known.

There’s also a pretty interesting history behind these crystals. Between 1902 and 1910, San Diego County sent huge amounts of pink tourmaline to China, where it was especially popular with the imperial court. The Himalaya Mine produced nearly 90 tons of the roughly 125 tons of tourmaline mined from the Mesa Grande mines during that period.