Do you remember, as a young child, being enchanted by the dazzling array of colors in your first paint set? What about the excitement created by an extra- large box of Crayola Crayons with 128 colors and over 15 shades of blue? The many varieties of Tourmaline create the same sense of enchantment and excitement for the jewelry designer.
The intense rainbow-like colors of Tourmaline are a visual experience not easily captured in words. Of all the gemstones, Tourmaline exhibits the most diverse and vibrant display of colors. Its name is derived from the Singhalese word "turamali" meaning "stones of many colors". The following is a brief guide to the brilliant colors of the Tourmaline palette.
Paraiba Tourmaline is famous for its stunning electric teals and rich sapphire-like blues. Found only in Brazil, Paraiba is as beautiful, as it is rare.
Indicolite Tourmaline (from the same root as "indigo") is a deep blue often with subtle shadings of green. Although lesser known, Indicolite rivals the beauty and colors of sapphire and aquamarine.
Rubellite Tourmaline ranges in color from raspberry red to dark cranberry with flashes of violet. Rubellite is an international gemstone, with gem-quality stones found in California, Africa, Afghanistan and Brazil.
Tourmaline is the national gemstone of the United States. Pink Tourmaline is an American beauty from southern California. Common varieties range from jazzy, hot pink to lighter pastel shades. Chrome Tourmaline, from East Africa, is a rich, bright green with a hint of yellow. It is not surprising that this gemstone is often mistaken for emerald. Maine Tourmaline, from the Mt. Mica region, is a beguiling mint-green reminiscent of Granny Smith apples. Other colors from Maine include pastel pinks, dark greens and bi-colored watermelon slices. Tourmaline is a relatively hard gemstone and is not easily scratched or chipped. The breadth of its multi-colored palette makes tourmaline an ideal gemstone for custom designed, high profile jewelry.
Pink Tourmaline for October? Okay we know Rose Zircon and Opal share as the birthstone for October. but — Rose Zircon rarely occurs in nature. Therefore we offer Pink Tourmaline as an alternative to rose zircon for a genuine facetted gemstone.
Tourmaline's name comes from the Sinhalese word "turmali," which means "mixed." Tourmaline occurring in more colors and combinations of colors than any other gemstone variety, lives up to its name. There is a tourmaline that looks like almost any other gemstone!
The Empress Dowager Tz'u Hsi, the last Empress of China, loved pink tourmaline and bought almost a ton of it from the new Himalayan Mine, located a long way from the Middle Country in California. The Himalayan Mine is still producing tourmaline today but the Dowager went to rest eternally on a carved tourmaline pillow.
Tourmaline is also of interest to scientists because it changes its electrical charge when heated. It becomes a polarized crystalline magnet and can attract light objects. This property was noticed long ago before science could explain it: in the Netherlands, tourmalines were called "aschentrekkers" because they attracted ashes and could be used to clean pipes!
Tourmalines are most often cut in long rectangular shapes because of their long and narrow crystal shape. Tourmaline crystals are beautiful, pencil thin and ridged, and they are also sometimes set in jewelry. Some designers also set rainbows of tourmaline in each color of the spectrum. Tourmaline is strongly pleochroic: the darkest color is always seen looking down the axis of the crystal.
