Tourmaline

Occurring mainly in Brazil, Tourmaline is a fascinating gemstone; it occurs in a variety of colours including green, pink, yellow, colourless, dark blue, an intense light blue and even a variety called ‘watermelon’ where one half of the stone is pink and the other half is green.

Tourmaline’s colours have many different causes. It’s generally agreed that traces of iron, and possibly titanium, induce green and blue colours. Manganese produces reds and pinks, and possibly yellows. Some pink and yellow tourmalines might owe their hues to colour centres caused by radiation, which can be natural or laboratory-induced.

Did you know that tourmaline becomes electrically charged when heated or squeezed? We call this property ‘Pyroelectric’.