gems, tourmaline, Mn tourmaline, Zambia, Africa

Structural refinement studies of tsilaisite, a manganese-rich tourmaline, have revealed key insights into its crystal structure and chemical composition. These studies, often using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, have provided detailed information about the atomic positions and bond lengths within the mineral. Specifically, refinements have shown a strong correlation between the Y-site cation occupancy (Al, Li, Mn, etc.) and the a-axis parameter