Tourmaline is a whole family of stones, not one. It comes in black, green, pink, blue and the pink-and-green watermelon.
Silicate (tourmaline group)
Tourmaline
Turmalina
- Palette
- Black Green Pink Red Blue Brown Clear Multicolor
- Mined in
- Brazil, Tanzania, Nigeria, Mozambique, Madagascar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, United States, Australia
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.0–7.5 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- 1908
- Named for
- Sinhalese toramalli, a general name for carnelian
- Also sold as
- schorl (black), verdelite (green), rubellite (red-pink), indicolite (blue), achroite (colorless), watermelon tourmaline (pink and green)
- Intention
- Protection Love
- Looking for
- Protection Grounding Love Luck
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Tourmaline is commonly heated, and some is irradiated to create color; heavily included stones are sometimes oiled, and dye is rare.
Not in our pieces now
42 MINERALS
The tourmaline group has 42 minerals recognized by the International Mineralogical Association.
CEYLONESE MAGNET
Early European observers saw tourmaline pull in and then push away hot ashes, and nicknamed it the Ceylonese Magnet.
256 CARATS
A flawless 256-carat blue tourmaline came from Maine.
What it is
A family of related minerals that comes in almost every color: black (schorl), green (verdelite), pink to red (rubellite), blue (indicolite), and watermelon stones that are pink inside and green outside. Crystals are long and three-sided with fine lines along their length; as beads they range from jet black and opaque to clear and glassy. Black is the most common kind.
What gives it its color
Tourmaline's colors come from different trace elements: iron makes it black, manganese pink to red, copper neon blue and chromium or vanadium deep green. Heating lightens blue and green stones, and irradiation deepens pink and red.
Where it comes from
Brazil, especially Minas Gerais, is the chief source, with more from Nigeria, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Namibia, Afghanistan and Pakistan; Sri Lanka and Maine's Mount Mica are historic sources.
In history
Black tourmaline was already called schorl before 1400, after a Saxon village beside a tin mine, and Dutch East India Company traders later brought Ceylon's colorful tourmalines to Europe in large numbers. Two college students found tourmaline at Mount Mica in Paris, Maine, in 1821, and Tiffany & Co. later bought a 69-carat Maine gem. San Diego County's pink tourmaline went to China's Empress Dowager Cixi until 1912.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, black tourmaline is the stone people keep for grounding and a sense of protection. Pink is kept for love and compassion, and green for luck and an open heart.
An old legend says tourmaline crossed a rainbow on its way up from the earth and kept every color. Dutch traders called it the ash puller, and Chinese officials once wore red or pink tourmaline as a mark of rank.
People wear it on the wrist, keep black in a pocket or by the front door, and set pink on a desk.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, by the front door, or on a desk.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, tourmaline is paired with the root and heart chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, by the front door. People reach for it when they want protection, grounding, love, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Heart
ZodiacLibra
BirthstoneOctober
Anniversary8th
ElementWater
Also calledschorl (black), verdelite (green), rubellite (red-pink)
Care
- Hard enough for daily wear; clean with a soft cloth and lukewarm water with a little mild soap, then dry.
- Keep away from sudden temperature changes, which can crack larger or included stones.
- Rough black tourmaline can be brittle along its crystal lines, so avoid hard knocks.
- Tourmaline can attract dust when warmed or rubbed, so wipe it clean now and then.
- Store apart from harder stones such as sapphire and diamond.
How to tell what you have
- Tourmaline comes in nearly every color, is hard (Mohs 7 to 7.5), and shows different shades as you turn it.
- Glass and dyed quartz can look similar, so ask the seller what it is.
What sets the price
Price follows color, since pure blue, red, orange, yellow and purple cost more because they are rarer, plus how clean the stone is and its size; stones filled to hide cracks or colored artificially are worth less than natural ones.
Rules and sourcing
Tourmaline is commonly heated, some is irradiated, and heavily included stones are sometimes oiled. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose irradiation, oil or heat that changes the color.
Questions people ask at our table
What is tourmaline?
A group of related boron silicate minerals, not one stone. The group includes black schorl, green verdelite, pink to red rubellite, blue indicolite and the pink-and-green watermelon form.
Why does it come in so many colors?
Small differences in what is in the crystal, such as iron, lithium and manganese, change the color. The same crystal can even shift color along its length.
Is tourmaline an October birthstone?
Yes. Tourmaline is one of the two modern birthstones for October, along with opal.
Is black tourmaline the same as jet or onyx?
No. Black tourmaline is a mineral with long striped crystals. Jet is fossil wood and onyx is banded chalcedony, and both are different materials.
How do I look after it?
Wipe it with a soft cloth and keep it from sudden heat and hard knocks. It is hard, but some stones have fine internal cracks.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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