Thursday, July 22, 2010

Gem of the Week: Tourmaline

I’ve always had a fondness for tourmalines, particularly the dark green variety. A popular gemstone in Victorian and Edwardian jewelry, the tourmaline comes in a wide range of colors and vibrancies: red, pink, black, blue, green, yellow, brown, colorless and many shades in-between. Originally brought to Europe from Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company, the tourmaline was considered a curiosity due to its unusual array of colors. According to Egyptian legend, as the tourmaline passed from the center of the Earth to the top, it passed through a rainbow and absorbed its many colors, thereby earning the name, “The Gemstone of the Rainbow.” The name tourmaline literally translates to “stone with mixed colors.” Some are even “color change” stones, meaning that the color will show differently in natural, candle or incandescent light. Red tourmaline is called “rubellite.” Green tourmaline is often called, “chrome tourmaline.” The king of all tourmalines is the “Paraiba Tourmaline.” This strain with its intense bluish-green color was discovered in 1987 in Brazilian, Paraiba.

The tourmaline is a gem with many moods and can be perfect in dozens of different settings. Once again becoming popular with designers, the tourmaline continues to show its many faces in a brilliant way.

Above: 19th Century Tourmaline and Diamond Ring from The Three Graces.

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