tourmaline |
(TOUR-ma-leen)
|
BUYER’S OVERVIEW:
Tourmaline is one of the world’s most versatile semi-precious gemstones. Tourmaline can be found in almost all naturally occurring colors from colorless to black with every tone imaginable and with many stones containing more than one color at a time. The most sought after colors of Tourmaline are the copper bearing Paraiba Tourmaline (a neon or electric blue often described as pool water blue) and the deep, saturated neon red or strawberry Tourmalines.
COLOR:
Tourmaline comes in hundreds of colors from colorless to black with every tone imaginable. Some note worthy Tourmalines include:
Paraiba – a rare neon blue-green tourmaline containing copper
Rubellite – loosely applied to stones of pink to red
Indicolite – violet to greenish blue
Watermelon – pink in the center and green around the periphery
Chrome – fine intense green
Seafoam – rare bluish green from the high peaks of the Himalayas
Parti-colored – more than one color in the crystal
APPEARANCE:
Transparent to opaque Most varieties of Tourmaline are considered to be Type II gemstones and are usually included. Pink, Watermelon and Red Tourmaline are considered to be Type III gemstones and are moderately to heavily included.
Phenomena: Tourmaline often exhibits the phenomena of Chatoyancy (a striking three dimensional effect typically seen in tiger eye quartz) and in some rare cases, has been reported to exhibit color change.
SIZE RANGE:
0.25 - 15 carats, large size stones, up to 30 carats are occasionally found.
POSSIBLE ENHANCEMENTS & TREATMENTS:
Some colors of Tourmaline may be heated or irradiated to enhance color, these treatments are undetectable and stable. Many colors require no treatment at all.
HARDNESS:
7 to 7½ on the Mohs scale.
BEST USE OF THE GEMSTONE:
Tourmaline can be used in all types of jewelry.
CARE & CLEANING:
It is best to never expose colored gemstones to cleaning solvents or chemicals of any kind.
Common cleaning methods include:
Ultrasonic: risky
Steamer: risky
Warm soapy water: safe
Reaction to Chemicals: can be damaged by acids and alkalis.
Reaction to Heat: heat may change the stones color; fast temperature changes may fracture it.
Stability to Light: stable after prolonged exposure to sunlight or UV light.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THIS GEMSTONE:
Tourmaline’s name comes from the Sinhalese word turmali, which means “mixed.” Tourmaline is the most colorful gem variety and perhaps this is why ancient mystics believed it could encourage artistic intuition, it has the palette to express every mood.
Seafoam Tourmaline has a chameleon-like ability to complement almost every other color, including sorbet shades, earth tones and vivid bright colors. Rubellite ranges from pinks to deep reds and makes an excellent alternative to ruby at a more reasonable cost. Indicolite ranges from bright blues to bluish green colors and is a much rarer color than other Tourmalines. Chrome tourmaline is a rich green that derives it color from traces of chromium.
Paraiba Tourmaline is a rare blue-green stone containing copper. It is found in vivid neon hues and can command thousands of dollars per carat. First found in Paraiba, Brazil, Tourmaline has also been found in Nigeria possessing the same neon copper-bearing qualities. Schorl is a black Tourmaline and interestingly for such a colorful stone, perhaps 95% of all Tourmaline is black.
Tourmaline has unusual electrical properties, crystals acquire a polarized electrical charge when heated or compressed. This property has made Tourmaline the latest miracle ingredient in cleansing lotions: manufacturers say the gem can increase a product’s ability to pull pollutants from the pores. For a long time Tourmaline was known in Europe as aschentrekker (ash puller) as the stone was used by the Dutch to pull ash from their Meerschaum tobacco pipes.
At one time the USA was famous for Tourmaline. China’s Dowager Empress Tz’u His, the last Empress of China, loved the pink Tourmaline mined in southern California. She bought vast quantities of it especially for carving. The high demand created a boom in the industry after 1902, particularly at the Himalaya mine in California. Records suggest that from 1898 until 1914, the Himalaya mine located in San Diego County was the world’s largest producer of Tourmaline. In 1904 mine production was at least 5.5 metric tons. In 1989, a single pocket in the mine produced more than 0.5 metric tons of Tourmaline.
DESIGNATION:
Tourmaline is the October birthstone (Oct 24 – Nov 22) and the traditional gift for a couples 8th wedding anniversary.
Tourmaline is one of the world’s most versatile semi-precious gemstones. Tourmaline can be found in almost all naturally occurring colors from colorless to black with every tone imaginable and with many stones containing more than one color at a time. The most sought after colors of Tourmaline are the copper bearing Paraiba Tourmaline (a neon or electric blue often described as pool water blue) and the deep, saturated neon red or strawberry Tourmalines.
COLOR:
Tourmaline comes in hundreds of colors from colorless to black with every tone imaginable. Some note worthy Tourmalines include:
Paraiba – a rare neon blue-green tourmaline containing copper
Rubellite – loosely applied to stones of pink to red
Indicolite – violet to greenish blue
Watermelon – pink in the center and green around the periphery
Chrome – fine intense green
Seafoam – rare bluish green from the high peaks of the Himalayas
Parti-colored – more than one color in the crystal
APPEARANCE:
Transparent to opaque Most varieties of Tourmaline are considered to be Type II gemstones and are usually included. Pink, Watermelon and Red Tourmaline are considered to be Type III gemstones and are moderately to heavily included.
Phenomena: Tourmaline often exhibits the phenomena of Chatoyancy (a striking three dimensional effect typically seen in tiger eye quartz) and in some rare cases, has been reported to exhibit color change.
SIZE RANGE:
0.25 - 15 carats, large size stones, up to 30 carats are occasionally found.
POSSIBLE ENHANCEMENTS & TREATMENTS:
Some colors of Tourmaline may be heated or irradiated to enhance color, these treatments are undetectable and stable. Many colors require no treatment at all.
HARDNESS:
7 to 7½ on the Mohs scale.
BEST USE OF THE GEMSTONE:
Tourmaline can be used in all types of jewelry.
CARE & CLEANING:
It is best to never expose colored gemstones to cleaning solvents or chemicals of any kind.
Common cleaning methods include:
Ultrasonic: risky
Steamer: risky
Warm soapy water: safe
Reaction to Chemicals: can be damaged by acids and alkalis.
Reaction to Heat: heat may change the stones color; fast temperature changes may fracture it.
Stability to Light: stable after prolonged exposure to sunlight or UV light.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THIS GEMSTONE:
Tourmaline’s name comes from the Sinhalese word turmali, which means “mixed.” Tourmaline is the most colorful gem variety and perhaps this is why ancient mystics believed it could encourage artistic intuition, it has the palette to express every mood.
Seafoam Tourmaline has a chameleon-like ability to complement almost every other color, including sorbet shades, earth tones and vivid bright colors. Rubellite ranges from pinks to deep reds and makes an excellent alternative to ruby at a more reasonable cost. Indicolite ranges from bright blues to bluish green colors and is a much rarer color than other Tourmalines. Chrome tourmaline is a rich green that derives it color from traces of chromium.
Paraiba Tourmaline is a rare blue-green stone containing copper. It is found in vivid neon hues and can command thousands of dollars per carat. First found in Paraiba, Brazil, Tourmaline has also been found in Nigeria possessing the same neon copper-bearing qualities. Schorl is a black Tourmaline and interestingly for such a colorful stone, perhaps 95% of all Tourmaline is black.
Tourmaline has unusual electrical properties, crystals acquire a polarized electrical charge when heated or compressed. This property has made Tourmaline the latest miracle ingredient in cleansing lotions: manufacturers say the gem can increase a product’s ability to pull pollutants from the pores. For a long time Tourmaline was known in Europe as aschentrekker (ash puller) as the stone was used by the Dutch to pull ash from their Meerschaum tobacco pipes.
At one time the USA was famous for Tourmaline. China’s Dowager Empress Tz’u His, the last Empress of China, loved the pink Tourmaline mined in southern California. She bought vast quantities of it especially for carving. The high demand created a boom in the industry after 1902, particularly at the Himalaya mine in California. Records suggest that from 1898 until 1914, the Himalaya mine located in San Diego County was the world’s largest producer of Tourmaline. In 1904 mine production was at least 5.5 metric tons. In 1989, a single pocket in the mine produced more than 0.5 metric tons of Tourmaline.
DESIGNATION:
Tourmaline is the October birthstone (Oct 24 – Nov 22) and the traditional gift for a couples 8th wedding anniversary.