This particularly rare, colorless stone is a variety of elbaite, a member of the tourmaline group, It does not show the strong dichroism characteristic of most tourmaline varieties and therefore eau be cut with the table facer either parallel or perpendicular to the length of the crystal. Colorless tourmaline may also be produced by applying heat to light pink tourmalines.

Achroite Occurs with coloured tourmalines in the pegmatite's of Madagascar and in California in the USA

Achrorite is named after the Greek word achroos, meaning "without color".