Tourmaline
Chakras - (depending on colour)
Zodiac - Virgo, Libra
Typical colours - Most commonly black, but can range from brown, violet, green, pink, or in a dual-coloured pink and green (watermelon).
History/Background:
All possible color combinations imaginable are embodied in this gemstone. It is believed that tourmaline is found in all these colors because it traveled along a rainbow and shone in all the rainbow's colors.
Tourmaline was known for centuries by the name schrol, but the name tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) words tura mali meaning unknown gemstones of mixed colors. Colored tourmaline crystals would be grouped together in tura mali parcels in Sri Lanka and exported to Europe in the beginning of the 18th century.Tourmaline's worldwide popularity is based on two key facts. First, it is a bright and beautiful gemstone that can be found in so many colors. Second, it is a high quality gemstone that is affordable to use in jewelry designs.
Tourmaline displays a greater range of colors than any other known gemstone. The most common color available is black, but every color of the rainbow can be found. There is a tourmaline color that can mimic almost any other gemstone. This is why it is one of the most interesting gems to gemologists and jewelry designers. At one time, red tourmalines were thought to be rubies. Many stones in the Russian Crown jewels from the 17th Century once thought to be rubies are actually tourmalines. The word ''rainbow'' is used to describe the colors of tourmaline figuratively, because in reality, tourmaline's diverse array of colors is not limited to the spectrum of the rainbow.
Tourmaline is renowned as the gem of sensitive poets and creative artists. Shakespeare even had a small collection of tourmaline jewelry to help him overcome writer's block. Tourmaline is believed to inspire creativity and was used extensively as a talisman by artists and writers during the renaissance through the late 1800s. Perhaps this gemstone is believed to encourage artistic imagination because it has many faces and can express every mood though color.
The rarest member of the tourmaline family is pink tourmaline. In fact, it is even rarer that a ruby! The Empress Dowager Tz'u-hsi (tzoo-she), the last Empress of China, adored and avidly collected pink tourmaline. During her lifetime, she bought nearly a ton of it from the Himalaya Mine in California, USA. When she died, she was laid to rest among all her jewels, and her head was set upon a prized pillow of carved pink tourmaline.
When heated or rubbed, tourmaline acquires an electric charge and attracts small objects like dust, ashes and other lightweight objects. This phenomenon is called piezoelectricity (pay-zoh-electricity), and it is considered a unique property. The first documented record of piezoelectricity is in the early 18th century.
In addition to its use in jewelry, tourmaline has been employed in pressure devices because of its piezoelectric properties. It has been used in sonar apparatus and other devices that detect and measure variables of pressure, too.
Because of its electric charge capabilities, the demand for tourmaline increased during WWII for the production of pressure sensitive gauges for submarine sonar instrumentation as well as other war equipment became significant.
Zodiac - Virgo, Libra
Typical colours - Most commonly black, but can range from brown, violet, green, pink, or in a dual-coloured pink and green (watermelon).
History/Background:
All possible color combinations imaginable are embodied in this gemstone. It is believed that tourmaline is found in all these colors because it traveled along a rainbow and shone in all the rainbow's colors.
Tourmaline was known for centuries by the name schrol, but the name tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) words tura mali meaning unknown gemstones of mixed colors. Colored tourmaline crystals would be grouped together in tura mali parcels in Sri Lanka and exported to Europe in the beginning of the 18th century.Tourmaline's worldwide popularity is based on two key facts. First, it is a bright and beautiful gemstone that can be found in so many colors. Second, it is a high quality gemstone that is affordable to use in jewelry designs.
Tourmaline displays a greater range of colors than any other known gemstone. The most common color available is black, but every color of the rainbow can be found. There is a tourmaline color that can mimic almost any other gemstone. This is why it is one of the most interesting gems to gemologists and jewelry designers. At one time, red tourmalines were thought to be rubies. Many stones in the Russian Crown jewels from the 17th Century once thought to be rubies are actually tourmalines. The word ''rainbow'' is used to describe the colors of tourmaline figuratively, because in reality, tourmaline's diverse array of colors is not limited to the spectrum of the rainbow.
Tourmaline is renowned as the gem of sensitive poets and creative artists. Shakespeare even had a small collection of tourmaline jewelry to help him overcome writer's block. Tourmaline is believed to inspire creativity and was used extensively as a talisman by artists and writers during the renaissance through the late 1800s. Perhaps this gemstone is believed to encourage artistic imagination because it has many faces and can express every mood though color.
The rarest member of the tourmaline family is pink tourmaline. In fact, it is even rarer that a ruby! The Empress Dowager Tz'u-hsi (tzoo-she), the last Empress of China, adored and avidly collected pink tourmaline. During her lifetime, she bought nearly a ton of it from the Himalaya Mine in California, USA. When she died, she was laid to rest among all her jewels, and her head was set upon a prized pillow of carved pink tourmaline.
When heated or rubbed, tourmaline acquires an electric charge and attracts small objects like dust, ashes and other lightweight objects. This phenomenon is called piezoelectricity (pay-zoh-electricity), and it is considered a unique property. The first documented record of piezoelectricity is in the early 18th century.
In addition to its use in jewelry, tourmaline has been employed in pressure devices because of its piezoelectric properties. It has been used in sonar apparatus and other devices that detect and measure variables of pressure, too.
Because of its electric charge capabilities, the demand for tourmaline increased during WWII for the production of pressure sensitive gauges for submarine sonar instrumentation as well as other war equipment became significant.
Tourmaline Jewelry
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**Please note that all metaphysical or healing properties listed are collected from various sources. This information is offered as a service and not meant to treat medical conditions. f.Inguz does not guarantee the validity of any of these statements.
Information sources:
The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, 2003
Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham, 2002
Love Is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals by A. Melody, 1991
Healing Crystals: The A - Z Guide to 430 Gemstones by Michael Gienger, 1997
Charms of Light: Healing with Energy, Light and Love by Caryl Haxworth
Shimmerlings
Firemountain Gems
The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, 2003
Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham, 2002
Love Is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals by A. Melody, 1991
Healing Crystals: The A - Z Guide to 430 Gemstones by Michael Gienger, 1997
Charms of Light: Healing with Energy, Light and Love by Caryl Haxworth
Shimmerlings
Firemountain Gems
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