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♦Rio Grande do Norte♦ Quintos Mine   This mine is located in the mountain about 10 kilometres away from Parelhas. It takes only twenty minutes drive to Mulung mine and these mines are on the same chain of mountains. The Quintos mine has been operated by H&R MINERAÇÃO LTDA run by Paul Wild in Germany, but the mine is called “German” by local people.   Various colour of tourmaline was found in this pegmatite deposit in 1995 and full-scale mining operation has started at the end of 1990s. According to Mr. Peter Rudy who is responsible for the mine, 60 employees are working there. Pegmatite in this area also consists of feldspar that is mostly of albite, quartz, muscovite and tourmaline. The bedrock is quite hard so that electric tools and dynamites are used for mining. The shafts are deeper than that in Mulung mine, and one of them is as long as 20 meters with several stories. The output has been limited in the last twelve months, but the mine produces “Paraíba” tourmaline everyday without interval. Green material also occurs, as well as large crystals over several carats occasionally. Photo 13: “Paraíba” tourmalines from Quintos mine. Left to right, 5.90ct, 4.16ct, 11.79ct. Courtesy of NOOR GEMS JAPAN LTD., photo by Masaaki KOBAYASHI (GAAJ) Photo 14: Sign at the entrance to Quintos mine. Photo 15: Panoramic view of Quintos mine. Photo 16: Shaft entrance of Quintos mine. Photo 17: Descending into a shaft in Quintos mine. Photo 18: Deep shaft in Quintos mine. Photo 19: Shaft in Quintos mine. Surrounding bedrock is all pegmatite. Photo 20: “Paraíba” tourmaline found at a cutting roll in Quintos mine. Photo 21: A part of plant in Quintos mine. Photo 22: Separation at Quintos mine. Photo 23: Mr. Peter Rudy, responsible person of the site in Quintos, presenting samples. Photo 24: Trees standing between Paraíba state and Rio Grande do Norte state. Across these trees is Paraíba.

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