Tourmaline

14K White Gold Genuine Pink
Tourmaline Earrings

Tourmaline is one of the "official" birthstones for October. It's less well known than many other gemstones, possibly because it's available to buy in such a range of colours and forms. Tourmaline jewelry you can buy includes rings, necklaces and pendants.

What Is Tourmaline?

Tourmaline is a complex borosilicate material. The wide variety of tourmaline gems includes black, yellow, pink blue and watermelon shades. For this reason it can sometimes be difficult for the layman to gain a clear picture of what tourmaline looks like. In the past different varieties of turmaline were considered separate stones (eg black schorl).

The name tourmaline comes from the Sri Lankan Sinhalese word tura mali which is probably best translated as "stone of many colours". The name has also been said to mean "attractor of ashes", a reference to the pyroelectric properties of tourmaline. If heated gently - for example by rubbing - it will develop a static charge that can attract small particles.

This versatile stone also has piezoelectric properties and is sometimes used in electronic instruments.

Symbolism and Lore

The symbolism of tourmaline is complicated by the wide variety in which it occurs. For example, black schorl has often been associated with mourning.

In ancient times tourmaline was often confused with other precious stones - for example, green tourmaline was sometimes thought to be emerald. It's therefore only in the last couple of hundred years that specific tourmaline lore has begun to form.

Properties

Generally tourmaline is considered a lucky gem and is often referred to as the "stone of wisdom". It is also supposed to be "resistant to all vagaries of fate" - in other words, it is supposed to protect the wearer from ill fortune.

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