Tourmaline – The Wonderful Rainbow Gemstone

Who would have thought that you could find one semi-precious gemstone that comes in a veritable rainbow of colours? Well you can and that gemstone is the tourmaline, and the ancients explained this rainbow of different colours by saying that the tourmaline journeyed from its birthplace in the core of the earth along the rainbow picking up all of its colours as it travelled. It is one of the most abundant gemstones in the world and can be found in greens, blues, pinks, reds, browns and blacks and occasionally they even have no colour at all. You can also find ones that are bi-coloured or multi-coloured and they can also be pink at one end and green at the other. And the most exotic colour variety for tourmaline is green on the outside and white and pink on the inside, the so-called watermelon tourmalines. Some of these gemstones can also be dichroic which means that they change their colour when looked at from different angles. All these different colours are created by the different elements that get compounded with the crystal silicate mineral as the tourmaline is being formed, and these colour inducing elements include copper, iron, magnesium, aluminium, potassium, lithium and sodium. The most valuable and sought after varieties are the green verdelite, pink rubellite and blue indicolite.

This beautiful gemstone only acquired the generic name tourmaline in the early 1700s when the Dutch East India Company started bringing large amounts of the gemstone into Europe from Sri Lanka. The name tourmaline is thought to have been derived from the Sinhalese word ‘tura mali’ that means the many coloured gemstone or alternatively the stone that attracts ash, as it has the ability to acquire a temporary charge when it is heated that acts like a mini-magnet that can attract very light objects such as ash, hairs or tiny bits of paper. This temporary charge can also be generated by rubbing a tourmaline. As early as medieval times in Europe they used to be known as schorl after a town in Saxony in Germany that stands close to a mine where black tourmaline was produced. Schorl is still mined today and ranges in colours from blues to brown and blacks. Another region of Europe where tourmaline is found is in Carinthia in the modern country of Slovenia, where they are known as Dravite after the Drava River. These Dravites are generally dark yellow or brownish black in colour. Still in Europe, some of the most well-known tourmalines are called Elbaite after the island of Elba where they are found. Elbaite can be pink, green, black and, more rarely, colourless. Elba also produces the pink tourmalines tipped with black that are known as ‘Moor’s Heads’.

These days tourmaline is mined in many parts of the globe. One of the big producers of tourmaline is Brazil, where nearly every possible colour of the gemstone can be found. In fact, in 1989 a brand new and very stunning variety of particularly vivid blue and green tourmaline was found in the state of Paraiba and which are now known as Paraiba tourmaline. The colour of the Paraiba tourmalines is sometimes described as ‘neon’ because it appears to be so intense and radiant. The USA is also an important producer and the first tourmaline discovered there was in 1822 in Maine. These Maine deposits produce gemstones that are mainly pinkish-reds and greens. Tourmaline also started to be mined in California in the early 20^th century, and these Californian stones are coloured bright pink or are bi-coloureds. Africa also is an important source of tourmalines and they are mined in Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia and Afghanistan also has rich deposits. Some of the world’s tourmalines are treated by being subjected to irradiation, especially the pink and red gemstones. This is carried out to improve their colour and does not affect the value of the gemstone. However, heavily included tourmalines sometimes have their clarity artificially enhanced, which does bring the value of the gemstone down considerably.

Tourmaline has traditionally been viewed as a good gemstone to wear for healing and protection. For the physical body, it is thought to aid in healing problems in the blood, lymph glands, nervous system and also helps to regulate your hormones. On the emotional and spiritual level tourmaline is an energizing gemstone that brings creative inspiration and intuition, so it is often worn by artists and writers to help them with their work. If you would like to have a good night’s sleep try wearing a tourmaline as it helps to release tension and soothe your soul. This is a very protective gemstone that can save the wearer from misfortune and danger. It is also regarded as the birthstone for the month of October and the zodiac signs of Libra and Leo and is the gemstone to be given as a gift to celebrate the 8^th wedding anniversary.

Because tourmalines come in such a rainbow of different shades and colours, you can safely choose tourmaline jewelry set in either silver or gold. Because it is a very abundant, semi-precious stone it can also be surprisingly affordable. So why not surprise someone on their October birthday with a great gift of tourmaline jewelry? Or if you are stumped for an 8^th wedding anniversary present, surprise her with some beautiful tourmalines? These beautiful rainbow stones can be found set in pendants, necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings and you can also buy beautiful matching sets of tourmaline jewelry. It may surprise you, but one of the very best places to look for tourmaline jewelry is online. Amazon have a great selection so why not have a look today and find that perfect gift or amazing treat for yourself? In fact, find yourself a whole rainbow of dazzling tourmaline jewelry!

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Tourmaline image Rob Lavinsky Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported