The new special exhibition shows the fascinating world of shapes and colors hidden inside a very special group of minerals: tourmalines.
Brightly colored varieties are among the most important gemstones today under the names rubellite, verdelite and indigolite. Only recently has it become known that the crystals of schorl, a type of black tourmaline, can also be colored if they are cut thin enough. Sometimes these crystal cuts contain interesting structures with extraordinary fineness of detail and brilliance of color.
With the help of photomicrography, chemist Dr. Paul Rustemeyer succeeded in capturing the fantastically beautiful new world of crystal images and interpreting them mineralogically. Like an X-ray image, many of the newly discovered structures allow insights into the interior of the tourmaline crystals and the numerous crystallographic information stored in them.
The exhibition presents aesthetic highlights and the latest scientific findings on the development and decay of this mineral family. As tourmalines are textbook examples of almost all phenomena occurring in crystals, the exhibition also provides an insight into the nature of crystals in general. Large-format detailed images of fascinating tourmaline landscapes, more than 400 crystals and around 1,500 backlit original slices invite visitors to immerse themselves in the world of dark tourmalines. The German Mineralogical Society has awarded Dr. Paul Rustemeyer the Doris Schachner Medal 2024 for this exhibition.
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Admission adults: € 4 Reduced: € 2 Children under 18 years Free admission.