Tourmaline has been fascinating its owners for thousands of years. There is an Egyptian legend that says that Tourmaline derived its colours by passing over a rainbow and taking on all of its magical shades. This exquisite gemstone naturally occurs in a myriad of stunning colours; almost pre-facetted by mother nature.

Tourmaline is rarely a colourless gemstone. As with other gemstone families it was the presence of different chemicals at the time the gem was crystallising, that has provided Tourmaline with an array of colours.

When a deep vivid green they can often be rich in Chromium and are sometimes named Chrome Tourmaline. Iron-rich Tourmalines are normally black to deep brown and magnesium-rich varieties can occur in yellowish brown colour. Lithium-rich tourmalines come in a rainbow of colours as green, blue, red and pink.

Members of the Tourmaline family are not from the same crystal structure, (isomorphic) their chemical compositions also vary. What they do have in common is that they all occur in nature as long, thin straight gems and are usually triangular in cross-section (no other familiar mineral has three sides).

Tourmaline is Pleochoric, this means you can see many colours when viewed from different angles. As well as being pleochroic, the crystals may grow to be green at one end and pink at the other, this variety is called Bi-Coloured Tourmaline. When found with green on the outside and pink inside, they are called Watermelon Tourmaline.

• Paraiba Tourmaline
  This is one of the most sought after. The stunning Paraiba Tourmaline ranges from neon swimming pool blue to a greenish blue. Its name is derived from the Paraiba State in Brazil in which it was first discovered in 1989. What makes this gem so different to other Tourmalines is the presence of copper and to a lesser extent manganese. The copper within the gem is what makes it appear to glow, this almost neon effect is truly a delight to see.
  
  The Paraiba story would make a great film and an even better sequal. Its original discovery back in 1989, was due to the work of Heitor Barbosa. This lone gem hunter was convinced that under a tiny little hill measuring no more than 400 by 200 metres and standing only 60 meters high, lay a new gemstone waiting to be discovered. He told his close friends that he was not digging just to extract a quantity of gems that already heralded from this famous gem area of Brazil, but was going to make a new discovery.
  
  He first cut ground in 1981 and worked relentlessly for many years without success. Then in the autumn of 1989, a tiny amount of a new Toumaline was discovered whilst he was at home recovering from an illness. For several years after the small hill (latter renamed Paraiba Hill) will trawled in an attempt to find more Paraiba, but it was in the main unsuccessful.
  
  The sequel takes place in Nigeria in 2001, when a discovery of Tourmaline is found to exhibit the same optical beauty of Paraiba and after scientific examination was found to contain copper. Bingo! The plot gathers pace now and we see the gem industry debating whether the gem should be called Paraiba Tourmaline as it is found in a completely different continent or whether a new name should be given. In the end, it was decided because it is of the same chemical composition and very difficult for gem experts to distinguish between the two, it would be simpler to allow it to take on the Paraiba title. The film comes to an end and as the camera draws back, we realise that the two films on located different continents have been scripted to prove the theory of continental drift.
   
• Blue Tourmaline
  Although Tourmaline is available in a wider spectrum of colours than any other gem, not all are so frequently found. Pure blue Tourmalines are incredibly rare and are more often a greenish blue. In some gem circles the dark blue variety is renamed Indicolite. Don’t expect to see these in shop windows, as they really are only discovered as one off pieces!

The symbolism of this precious stone is complicated and vast because of the wide variety in which it appears. Throughout history Tourmaline was often mixed with other beautiful Gemstones. Green Tourmaline was said to be confused with Emerald. It’s only in the last few hundred years that Tourmaline lore and legend has begun to emerge. Black Tourmaline (known as Schorl) has been associated with grieving. Tourmaline is considered a good luck gem and is sometimes referred to as the 'stone of wisdom'. It is also said to be 'resistant to all vagaries of fate' – in other words it protect the person wearing it from ill fortune. It is the gemstone of friendship, relationships and love, and is said to help strengthen and intensify these.

Tourmaline; said to be the last friend of the last Empress of China, is believed to possess healing warmth. If you hold the gemstone it has been said it can balance your 'prana', the energy of your soul. Wear the gemstone as a talisman and it will bring to you good friends and good lovers.’

Hardness: 7-7.5, Refractive Index: 1.62-1.68