TOURMALINE
Tourmaline is a crystalline boron silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious stone and the gemstone can be found in a wide variety of colors. In fact, tourmaline has one of the widest color ranges of any gem species, occurring in various shades of virtually every hue.
Many tourmaline color varieties have inspired their own trade names:
Many tourmaline color varieties have inspired their own trade names:
- Rubellite: a name for pink, red, purplish red, orangy red, or brownish red
- Indicolite: dark violetish blue, blue, or greenish blue
- Paraíba: intense violetish blue, greenish blue, or blue
- Chrome tourmaline: intense green
- Achroite – colorless
- Dravite – brown
- Schorl – black
- Parti-colored tourmaline: displays more than one color
- Watermelon tourmaline: pink in the center and green around the outside
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THE HISTORY
Tourmaline was often mistaken for other gemstones due to its rainbow of colors. It also is available globally which does not help narrow down its true nature without gemological testing. People have probably used tourmaline as a gem for centuries, but until the development of modern mineralogy, they identified it as some other stone (ruby, sapphire, emerald, and so forth) based on its coloring.
In fact its name derives from Sinhalese 'toramalli' to mean "mixed gems or stones", giving evidence to our predecessors' confusion over the stone's identity. Despite this, we do know that tourmaline was very popular to cut and carve throughout time and was appreciated for its color variation.
The oldest carved tourmaline found is that depicting a deeply engraved intaglio of Alexander the Great, dating back to approximately 330 B.C.
Tourmaline was declared a stone of the Muses, inspiring and enriching the creative processes. It was a talisman for actors, artists and writers. Its pyroelectric properties foster amplification of psychic energy and dispel negative energies. Tourmaline is a primary birthstone of the month of October, alternating with opal.
In fact its name derives from Sinhalese 'toramalli' to mean "mixed gems or stones", giving evidence to our predecessors' confusion over the stone's identity. Despite this, we do know that tourmaline was very popular to cut and carve throughout time and was appreciated for its color variation.
The oldest carved tourmaline found is that depicting a deeply engraved intaglio of Alexander the Great, dating back to approximately 330 B.C.
Tourmaline was declared a stone of the Muses, inspiring and enriching the creative processes. It was a talisman for actors, artists and writers. Its pyroelectric properties foster amplification of psychic energy and dispel negative energies. Tourmaline is a primary birthstone of the month of October, alternating with opal.
