From the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River, and from Kentucky to Georgia, Tennessee is a treasure trove for rock enthusiasts.

Many rockhounds dream of finding tourmaline here, but the search can be frustrating and time-consuming. Where should you look? Which areas are worth the effort?

Don’t waste your weekends scouring unproductive sites. We’ve done the research for you. Today, we’ll reveal the top spots in Tennessee to find tourmaline.

These carefully selected locations will maximize your chances of success, saving you time and energy. Let’s get started!

How Tourmaline Forms Here

Tourmaline forms deep underground through intense heat and pressure. It originates from hot, mineral-rich fluids that move through fractures in rocks like granite and pegmatite. As these fluids cool, the minerals within them start to crystallize, forming tourmaline.

The color of tourmaline depends on the specific minerals involved, leading to a wide range of hues including pink, red, green, and blue.

Over millions of years, these crystals grow and become the beautiful, multifaceted stones we see today. Tourmaline is prized for its variety of colors and is often used in jewelry and decorative items.

The Types Of Tourmaline

Several incredible types of Tourmaline can be found in the US as well as in our state. Each is uniquely beautiful and interesting including:

Elbaite

Elbaite is found in pink, red, green, blue, yellow, and even colorless forms. What makes elbaite special is its ability to show multiple colors in a single crystal, like the famous “watermelon” tourmaline with pink and green hues.

This gem stands out due to its complex chemical makeup, which includes lithium, sodium, and aluminum. This composition gives Elbaite its diverse color range and dichroism, allowing it to display different colors when viewed from different angles.

Elbaite has a unique place in history as the first tourmaline variety in which lithium was discovered back in 1818. Some rare types, like the neon blue Paraiba elbaite, are highly sought after by collectors and jewelers.

Schorl

Schorl is known for its deep, rich color. It typically forms long, prismatic crystals with a shiny, glass-like surface when polished. Unlike other tourmalines, schorl gets its distinctive black color from high iron concentrations.

One of Schorl’s most fascinating features is its ability to become electrically charged through heating or rubbing. When charged, it can attract or repel small particles.

This unique electrical property makes Schorl valuable in various industries. It’s used in electronics and manufacturing to control static electricity and electromagnetic interference.

Despite being less colorful than other tourmalines, schorl’s practical applications make it an important and interesting variety.

Rubellite

Rubellite stands out with its vibrant pink to red colors. The most prized ones show a pure, saturated red without any brown or orange hints. This beautiful color comes from manganese in its makeup.

One cool thing about rubellite is its double refraction. It can look like it has two different colors when you view it from different angles.

Dravite

Dravite, or Brown Tourmaline, comes in shades from dark brown to light brown-yellow. It can look a bit like Smoky Quartz, with a semi-see-through quality.

Its crystals are often needle-like or prismatic, with points at both ends. This sets it apart from other tourmalines like the darker schorl or the colorful elbaite.

What makes dravite special is its rich sodium and magnesium content. This sets it apart from other tourmalines. It was first discovered in 1883 and named after the Drava River in Slovenia.

Indicolite

Indicolite is a rare and captivating blue to blue-green stone. It’s prized for its pure, bright blue color, which is considered the rarest within the tourmaline family. The hues can range from light blue-green to deep, rich blue, often with high clarity.

What sets Indicolite apart is its unique optical effects. It shows pleochroism, appearing to change color when viewed from different angles. Some specimens also display chatoyancy, creating a “cat’s eye” effect when cut in a certain way.

Indicolite is sometimes called “Brazilian sapphire” due to its resemblance to the precious gem. However, they’re different minerals.

The increasing demand for blue tourmalines has made indicolite highly sought-after in the gemstone market, appreciated for its beauty and rarity.

Watermelon Tourmaline

Watermelon tourmaline is truly one-of-a-kind. It looks just like a slice of watermelon, with a pink or red center and a green outer layer. This unique look happens because different elements join the crystal at different times as it grows.

These crystals often form in a rounded triangle shape. They’re see-through to somewhat clear and have a glass-like shine. When cut into slices, they really do look like little watermelons!

Cat’s Eye Tourmaline

Cat’s eye tourmaline is known for its mesmerizing chatoyancy effect. This creates a bright band across the stone’s surface, resembling a cat’s eye.

This stone comes in various colors, from green to pink to brown, and is usually semi-translucent to opaque.

What makes this stone special is the perfect alignment of tiny, needle-like inclusions inside it. These scatter light in a unique way, creating that eye-catching effect. It’s quite different from other tourmalines that don’t have this feature.

Unlike other cat’s eye stones, Tourmaline offers a wider range of colors and is often more affordable.

Achroite

Achroite is a rare, colorless variety of tourmaline that looks like a drop of clear water turned to stone. It’s completely transparent, making it unique among tourmalines which usually have color. The name comes from Greek, meaning “without color.”

What’s special about achroite is that it doesn’t change color when viewed from different angles. It means the stone can be cut in many ways without losing its clarity.

Verdelite

Verdelite is known for its beautiful green color. It can range from light green to deep emerald.

One thing that makes verdelite special is that you can find big, clear crystals of it. This isn’t always easy with other gemstones.

People love using verdelite in jewelry because its rich color and interesting light effects make it a popular choice for all kinds of accessories. Each piece of verdelite is like a little piece of nature you can wear.

Paraíba Tourmaline

Paraíba Tourmaline is a rare gemstone that catches the eye with its vibrant neon blue or green color. It’s like no other tourmaline you’ve seen before. The intense glow comes from copper in the stone, making it stand out from its cousins.

This stone is one of the rarest. For every 10,000 diamonds mined, only one Paraíba tourmaline is found.

It was only discovered in the late 1980s, making it a newcomer in the gem world. But Paraíba tourmaline’s unique color and rarity quickly made it a favorite among gem lovers.

Its discovery caused quite a stir in the gem community. Even small stones can be valuable because of how rare and beautiful they are.

What Rough Tourmaline Looks Like

When you’re out looking for rough Tourmaline on your own it’s important to know what you’re looking for.  Here are some tips to help you recognize rough tourmaline.

Look for Color Variations

Tourmaline comes in many colors, like pink, green, blue, and even black. Some pieces have multiple colors, like watermelon tourmaline, which is pink and green.

If you see these color mixes, it’s likely tourmaline. Keep an eye out for vibrant shades.

Assess the Density and Weight

Rough tourmaline is relatively heavy for its size. If you pick up a piece and it feels denser than expected, it could be tourmaline. This weight can help you confirm your find.

Examine the Crystal Structure

Tourmaline features distinctive crystal shapes, ranging from slender and elongated to chunky forms. Look for triangular cross-sections and striations on the surface, which indicate its unique growth patterns.

Check for Transparency

Some rough tourmaline can be slightly transparent. If you hold it up to the light, you might see through it a bit. This transparency can be a good sign that you have tourmaline.

A Quick Request About Collecting

Tips on where to look

Once you get to the places we have listed below there are some things you should keep in mind when you’re searching:

Look for Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks are great places to find tourmaline. These rocks form from layers of sand, mud, and minerals. Over time, minerals like tourmaline can get trapped.

Look in riverbeds or areas where sediment has built up. You might find small pieces or even larger crystals. 

Explore Mines

Mines are great spots to find tourmaline. Many mines across the U.S. extract various gemstones, including tourmaline.

Some mines even allow visitors to search for gems themselves. Always check if they have guided tours or special digging days.

Search in Gravel Pits

Gravel pits are often overlooked, but they can be treasure troves. These pits dig deep into the earth, exposing layers of rock.

Tourmaline can be found in the gravel. Just sift through the material carefully.

Some Great Places To Start

Here are some of the top locations in Tennessee to begin your search for tourmaline. These sites are among the best in the state for finding this precious gemstone.

Oak Grove Deposit

The Oak Grove Deposit is located in northwest Tennessee near Puryearin within Henry County. This site, once operated by Ethyl Corporation, is known for its rich mineral diversity, including the prized tourmaline.

The deposit sits atop ancient marine beach quartz sands, part of the McNairy Sand formation, creating a unique geological tapestry.

What makes Oak Grove special is its 12-meter thick layer of quartz sands, a testament to the area’s prehistoric coastline. These sands are a treasure trove of minerals.

Besides tourmaline, you might stumble upon kyanite, staurolite, and even rare monazite.

For the best chances of finding tourmaline, focus on the gravelly areas and creek beds. The water’s natural sorting action often reveals these colorful crystals.

El Tigre Mine

Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the El Tigre Mine in Monroe County is a treasure trove for rockhounds. This historic site, part of the Coker Creek Mining District, is known for its rich mineral deposits, including tourmaline.

Metasiltstone and metasandstone from the Ocoee Series form the backbone of this mineral-rich area. While famous for its placer gold deposits, El Tigre Mine also yields an array of gemstones.

Tourmaline hunters should focus on the alluvial gravels of Coker Creek. These water-worn deposits often hide colorful tourmaline crystals alongside other minerals like garnet, zircon, and ilmenite.

This mine is open to the public but be sure to check and get permission before going if required.

Ducktown Mining District

The Ducktown Mining District sits in Polk County, southeast Tennessee. This valley, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, was used to be famous for copper mining. Now, it’s great for finding gemstones like tourmaline.

The area’s rocks formed from old volcanoes and sea beds that created lots of different minerals. You can look for tourmaline in creek beds and old mine dumps but the best spots are often where miners left piles of rocks.

What’s cool about Ducktown is its copper-colored soil. Years of mining turned the land orange-red. Now, trees are growing back, but you can still see this unique color

While hunting for tourmaline, keep an eye out for other minerals too. You might find pyrite (fool’s gold) or even small bits of native copper.

Don’t forget to check out the Ducktown Basin Museum. It shows the area’s mining history and has cool mineral displays. It’s a great place to learn what to look for when you’re out searching for tourmaline.

Bemis Railroad Cut

Located in southern Madison County, the Bemis railroad cut is a great spot for rockhounds. This historic site, part of the Bemis Historic District, offers a unique window into the area’s geological past.

This place is special because of its exposed rock layers that show the area’s long geological history. What makes this spot special is its easy access to various rock formations.

As you explore, you’ll find tourmaline in the exposed rock faces and loose gravels. The cut’s walls showcase a colorful tapestry of sedimentary layers, each telling a story of the region’s ancient past.

Lost River Mine

The Lost River Mine is a historical mining site located near Tellico Plains in Monroe County, Tennessee. It is situated within the Coker Creek Gold Mining District, which is part of the Nantahala National Forest.

The mine’s unique geology stems from Holocene epoch alluvium deposits, creating a mineral-rich environment. Tourmaline hunters will find joy in the mine’s surface workings, which span about 0.20 hectares.

The surrounding creeks and stream beds also offer promising spots for gemstone seekers. Beyond tourmaline, the area is known for gold, zircon, and hematite.

The Lost River Mine’s location in the Southern Appalachian Highlands adds to its allure, making it a prime destination for both amateur and experienced rockhounds.