Tremendous Tourmaline!

I know I have said it before, but tourmaline is one of my all time favourite gemstones. It is so beautiful and comes in every shade you can imagine. It forms as one of the last minerals to crystallise out of a cooling magma and the crystals can grow to be very large. The surface of the crystals are usually textured with stripes or striations. The crystals are long and columnar or needle shaped and can be found criss crossing other gemstones such as quartz. Tourmalinated quartz is a stunning gem, with black needles of tourmaline creating wonderful patterns within it. The different colours are produced by different metals and other impurities. The mineral itself is one of the most chemically complicated gemstones and a member of the silcate group of minerals. At the moment, there are 25 recognised forms of the stone. The gems are mined in various ways, including in underground shafts into mountain sides, open cast mining and even from gravels in mineral rich streams. The colours of tourmaline give rise to many different gem names. Blue tourmaline is called Indigolite, green is called Verdelite, brown is Dravite, black is Schorl, pink or red is known as Rubelite and crystals that contain pink and green together are called watermelon Tourmaline. Some crystals can contain many colours. The gemstone is found in many places in the world including Italy, the Ural mountains, Czech Republic, Yugoslavia and in other areas where acid igneous rocks and pegmatites can be found. The main locations of tourmaline for mining are Brazil - where most of the blue and green gems are sourced, the US - noted for the pink stones, Africa, also blues and Afganistan where fine and richly coloured stones have been sourced. The colours of this gemstone can be incredibly rich and so are much prized by jewellery makers. I have showcased some of the fantastic tourmaline jewellery that can be found on Folksy - please do take a moment to click on the pictures to be taken to the artisans shops to find out more.... This beautiful necklace features a rich pink Rubelite gem of tourmaline. It has been created by Shirley Nelson A stunning ring, featuring Verdelite - green tourmaline, by Hannah Morris-Knowles This lovely necklace by Jill Twist, shows a variety of tourmaline shades. An amazing Snowdrop ring, by Caroline Young, displays a Verdelite Tourmaline. Rich, raspberry pink Rubelite tourmalines make a statement in thee gorgeous stud earrings by Becky Webb. This sterling silver crocheted cuff features all the colours of tourmaline. It can be found in my shop! ......................................................................................................................................... Tourmaline is an alternative birthstone for the month of October - especially the pink variety - so if you are not a fan of opals, then tourmaline could be the gemstone for you. It is said to have anti-stress and de-toxifying properties when worn. It is known as the zodiac stone for Gemini and also linked to those born under Libra. I do hope you have enjoyed looking at some of the many beautiful tourmaline items from Folksy, thanks so much for popping by! Jacqueline x