Dravite

Dravite from Yinnietharra Dravite Mine, Yinnietharra, Western Australia, Australia, measuring 52 × 47 × 30 mm and weighing 103 grams. The relatively shallow profile makes the crystal-bearing face easy to appreciate as a group. The dimensions give it an individual scale and shape within a collection of material from this named Australian occurrence.

Dravite belongs to the Tourmaline group and is characterised by a magnesium-rich composition. The group is built from complex boron-bearing silicate structures that can accommodate a range of elements. That chemical flexibility is one reason Tourmaline offers such a rewarding field for collecting: related minerals can share a broad family identity while remaining distinct species.

Short, dark brown-black angular crystals contrast with a paler granular matrix. That contrast helps separate the crystal outlines, allowing the group to be read as several individual forms rather than one dark mass. The shallower profile makes a good face-on subject, with angled lighting bringing out the glossy areas and the edges of the crystals. The specimen comes from the David Vince Collection. It brings a documented ownership connection to a familiar Western Australian Dravite locality. Its interest lies in the individual piece within that broader setting: a manageable specimen with clear measurements, a named source and a mineral identity that invites a closer look at the varied chemistry of the Tourmaline family.