The Colorful Gemstone Tourmaline Brings You Your Own Personal Jewelry Rainbow!
The Colorful Gemstone Tourmaline
Referred to as the “gemstone of the rainbow” the gemstone tourmaline is found in amazing array of colors. Egyptian legend tells up that tourmaline is on a journey from the center of the earth and whilst on that journey passed a rainbow and assumed the colors of it and combinations of those colors. In translation the word tourmaline means stone mixed with color and come from the Singhalese words tura mali.
In ancient times tourmaline was revered as having many magical powers and is known as the gemstone for friendship and love. It is believed to enhance communication, tranquility, gives strength to the mind, and aids in sleep. Helps self confidence, memory and creativity. Gem therapists believe that it aids in the treatment and maintenance of digestive system, nervousness, balances the endocrine and aids the lymphatic system. It is thought best to wear the gemstone tourmaline next to the skin for optimum benefits. Tourmaline is the birthstone for October.
The tourmaline gemstones belong to the trigonal crystal system and appear as long slender elongated and heavily streaked pieces of stone. It is easily distinguished as unlike other gemstone it has three sided prisms. Tourmaline range in color from red to green and from blue to yellow and some even have two or more colors. Some can change color when moved from natural to artificial light and others can have a cat’s eye appearance. Depending from which angle you view the gemstone the color may vary or the shade become more or less intense. When a cutter is preparing to cut a stone he must pay particular attention as the color is most intense when being looked at towards the main axis. Tourmaline is a durable stone with a hardness of between 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. There are different names for different pieces. Green tourmaline is called Verdelite or sometime chrome tourmaline, there is also rubilite which is obviously a rich red, blue tourmaline is referred to as indigolite and yellow to browns are called dravites. The black tourmaline, known as schorl, is believed by many esoteric people to have special powers and is often used in esoteric rituals. It is also often used for engraving. Some of the rarer tourmaline gems are Paraiba tourmaline which was first discovered in a Brazilian mine in 1987, it is a very strong blue to blue green color. Another rare color comes from Malawi and is called canary tourmalines because of the very vivid yellow hues. Over the years tourmaline deposits have been found scattered all over the world in place as diverse as Afghanistan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Madagascar and in small pockets of the USA, although the major deposits are in Brazil, Sri Lanka and in South and south west Africa.
From a scientific point of view tourmaline is quite amazing in that when heated and allowed to cool again these stones become electrically charged. They are negative at one end and positive at the other. ‘Pyro-electricity’ as it is called was derived from the Greek word for fire, pyr.
Because of the diversity of the colors the gemstone tourmaline can be made into literally hundreds of pieces. Using the natural elongated shape of this stone some amazing styles of pendant and drop earring can be purchased or made to your own specifications, for example a pillar of black tourmaline held by an 18 gold claw with a gold chain gives a look of quality and class especially when used with matching earrings worked a smaller stone. Beautiful dangling bi-color stone earrings with diamonds top and bottom, Victorian style rings and broaches using whatever color tourmaline takes your fancy. Modern settings to antique to retro fashion, rings for the ladies and the gentlemen, cufflinks, stick pins.
All can be set in your choice of Platinum, white or yellow gold or sterling sliver and used in combination with diamonds or other precious gems. When in comes to the use of the gemstone tourmaline you are limited only by your imagination as the many colors of the stones offer you a choice to match your clothing, mood, personality or just you personal preference. These striking gemstones will always be noticed and admired by those who appreciate fine jewelry.
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