Our Gems
Tourmaline
History and Folklore
According to the Egyptians, the reason behind the extraordinary colors of tourmaline is because it passed through a rainbow on its way up from the center of the Earth. Because of its astonishing color, tourmaline has been popular throughout history. The last empress of China, Dowager Tz’u His, favored tourmalines for their rich pink color. For centuries it has adorned the jewelry and crowns of royalty. It comes from the Sinhalese word turamali, meaning “stone with mixed colors.” Due to its different hue of colors, many ancient mystics believed tourmaline could encourage artistic expression and creativity.
Facts and Information
Tourmalines come in a variety of colors including pink, purplish red, blue, and shades of green. Pink tourmaline is also the birthstone for October. The majority of tourmalines on the market come from Brazil, Africa, and Afghanistan.
Other than the classic pink and green hues there are several different types of tourmaline:
- Rubellite - Latin word for reddish, loosely applied to red to darker pinkish color.
- Parti color - shows multi color in stone.
- Indicolite - all the different shades of blue.
- Chrome Tourmaline - intense deep green colored by vanadium and chromium.
- Watermelon - bi-color tourmaline with pink, reds and green colors
- usually dividing the stone into colored halves.
Gemstone Identification and Characteristics
- R.I.: 1.624 - 1.644
- (+.011, -.009)
- Hardness: 7 - 7.5
- S.G.: 3.06 (+.20, -.06)
Cleaning Methods
- Never clean with a steamer
- Never clean in the ultrasonic
- Use warm, soapy water to clean
Major Sources
- Brazil
- Afghanistan
- Africa
