Basics
Brazil is well known among mineral collectors for producing extremely large quantities of mineral specimens, gemstones, and other ornamental stones. It is very likely that Brazil has the largest amount of gem-bearing pegmatites out of any country though Madagascar and Pakistan may both be close behind. Brazil’s gem bearing pegmatites are most famous for their tourmalines but are also known for gorgeous specimens of gem beryls, topaz, apatite, rose quartz, phosphates and many others. Though Brazilian pegmatites are well documented, new minerals are still being discovered in the most complex ones. Some of the pegmatites have extremely large gem pockets- the Jonas Mine in Minas Gerais for example produced a famous room-sized pocket filled with gem tourmaline. The majority of pegmatites in Brazil are located in Minas Gerais and Bahia though there are important pegmatites in other states as well such as Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte.
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