Tourmaline has been in demand by jewelers for several centuries. Byzantine jewelry of the 12th century already allows you to enjoy the beauty of this gem. On the territory of Russia, the mineral becomes known in the 16th century – exactly from the moment of the discovery of tourmaline deposits. In addition, merchants began to import it from distant countries.
Tourmaline appeared in Europe thanks to Dutch sailors who brought it from Ceylon. The original name of this gemstone “turamali” is translated from the language of the inhabitants of this island as “multi-colored”.
Tourmalines are found in purple-red, red-purple, neon, black, gradient and even multi-colored (for example, the pink-green watermelon variety). The clarity of this mineral also varies considerably. There are both absolutely transparent and “muddy” stones. Another advantage of tourmaline is that it changes color depending on the lighting. Unsurprisingly, the mineral misled even connoisseurs. So, once the Empress Catherine II was presented with a “ruby” the size of a pigeon’s egg, but later it turned out that it was tourmaline.
Tourmaline is a gem. Different colors
The more complex and brighter the color of the tourmaline, the more valuable it is. Today, bright neon blue stones from Brazil, Paraiba state are becoming more and more popular. Tourmalines of blue and green shades are most often found in South America: from light blue and pale turquoise to dark blue and deep emerald.
The red variety of the mineral is not less diverse: the stones are pink, scarlet, red-violet, and the most valuable ones are crimson. Their deposits are in Russia, California (USA), Madagascar and on the island of Sri Lanka. Cherry tourmaline has been mined in Siberia for 300 years.
A few months ago, unique transparent tourmalines came to the buzzard jewelry workshop. In daylight, these stones show a delicate raspberry-strawberry color, and in the evening they look rich orange, almost orange. Jewelers have turned these minerals into unique earrings. The pear cut and diamond border reveal the stone’s potential. The reverse part of the decoration is also skillfully made: it is strewn with a scattering of rubies of a cold shade. Creating a tourmaline jewelry is a real happiness for an artist. After all, each such stone is unique.
