Crystal magic - the hidden magic of dark tourmalines

Tourmalines are a group of minerals that have been valued and sought after by gemstone and mineral lovers for centuries due to their variety of colors and richness of form. Beautiful, colorful tourmaline crystals are rare and precious gemstones. The outwardly pitch-black tourmaline variety "schorl" is more common. However, these dark crystals conceal a colorful surprise inside: if you cut millimeter-thick slices from them and carefully grind them thinner, the first colored areas emerge in the light of a strong lamp. If you continue sanding carefully, a small, detailed image of high color brilliance develops in the best case. Despite the small thickness of the slices, often only a few hundredths of a millimeter, many images appear three-dimensional.

Fascinated by these phenomena, Dr. Paul Rustemeyer began a 20-year research journey through the interior of thousands of tourmaline crystals. On the one hand, a large number of aesthetic images of the "natural artist tourmaline" came to light, and on the other, many new structures were discovered that tell of the "crystal life" of tourmaline and the crises inside it.
The discoveries of this private research were documented with micro and macro photography and the most beautiful and interesting results are summarized in this special exhibition. Visitors can enjoy the wondrous formations of tourmaline. As tourmaline crystals also show almost all the phenomena that occur in crystals, the Exhibition also provides an insight into the nature of crystals in general.