If your birthday is in October, then you’re in for a treat. October’s gemstone is tourmaline and this chameleon of a gem comes in a plethora of different colours and hues.
You may see tourmaline more often than you think, maybe even mistaking a the intensely green chrome tourmaline for an emerald. While often a dark, blackish stone, tourmaline comes in many different shades, from a pale pink to a vivid blue. Gwyneth Paltrow wore a stunning pink, off-the-shoulder gown to the Oscars 2015 and finished her outfit with fabulous drop pear-shaped earrings of diamonds, sapphires and rich pink-red tourmaline gems.
Ranging from a dark, violet blue to a greenish blue or a brown and orange toned stone, tourmaline is versatile and adaptable. As well as being one colour, tourmaline can even be more than one colour within one stone. One of the most common tourmaline colour combinations is a green and pink gem that is known as watermelon tourmaline. Like a slice of watermelon, this tourmaline is pink in the centre with a ring of green around it and these gems are typically cut to capture this colouring.
Found and currently mined in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, tourmaline is also found in two particular US states, California and Maine. Tourmaline is found in several African countries, including Madagascar, Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Malawi. Minerals found in the ground and earth around the tourmaline deposits are thought to determine the colour of this often-three-sided prism shaped gems, with magnesium creating black and bluish-black gems, while magnesium-rich stones are brown to yellow.
A helping hand
Gemstones are often used for healing purposes and this is certainly the case with tourmaline. Creating a piece that incorporates a tourmaline stone will help to bring the wearer compassion, serenity and balance, with tourmaline used to represent reconciliation.
Adaptable and Versatile
The stone associated with an 8th wedding anniversary; tourmaline offer the ultimate in versatility. When creating a piece of jewellery, we can use tourmaline more than once in a piece but use an entirely different colour of stone each time. Tourmaline is perfect for jewellery pieces that may not be worn every day as the stone is a little less hard-wearing than diamonds. It’s for this reason, perhaps, that tourmaline isn’t often used in engagement rings, but rather for stand out statement pieces that are to be worn and enjoyed for particular occasions.
Fascinated by natural gemstones and its beauty? Contact us if you want to know more and to discover what we can offer you, from fully customised pieces to bespoke, all ethically made.