The moniker is in recognition of GIA governor Barbara Dutrow and her contributions to mineral sciences and crystal chemistry. The naming is particularly apt, as the substance is from the tourmaline group, and Dutrow has carried out well-known and comprehensive research into tourmalines and how they are formed, the GIA explained Wednesday.
Dutrowite, which researchers found in the Apuan Alps of Tuscany, is formed from the compression and heating of a volcanic rock called rhyolite. Of the 34 tourmaline species, it is the first to be named after a woman, the GIA noted. Dutrow is the sixth GIA contributor to receive this honor, following Richard Liddicoat, George Rossman, John Valley, Robert Crowningshield and John Koivula.
“Gems, and especially minerals, have been my life’s passion,” said Dutrow. “It is tremendously gratifying to receive this honor. Discoveries such as this show us that there is still much to learn about our earth and its many minerals and the geologic information they contain.”
Correction: The mineral was named by the International Mineralogical Association, and not by the GIA as initially reported.
Image: Barbara Dutrow. (Gemological Institute of America)