WHAT IS TOURMALINE?
Tolerance & compassion
The Tourmaline gemstone has one of the widest colour ranges among gemstones. It can be found in almost every colour. The tourmaline’s name stems from the Sinhalese word ”Toramalli” – a word for a gemstone in multiple colours. It has even gotten the nickname,” rainbow gemstone”.
OCTOBER'S BIRTHSTONE
Tourmaline is the birthstone of October along with Opal and is also the birthstone of the zodiac signs Libra & Scorpio. Each month has its very own birthstone, making jewellery set with a birthstone a personal and thoughtful gift.
Wearing your birthstone is said to bring good luck. You can wear your own birthstone as a lucky charm or your loved one's birthstone as a symbol of love.
SYMBOLISM
Tourmaline symbolises tolerance and compassion. It’s thus said that it emphasizes understanding – both for others and for yourself. Tourmaline is a confidence stone, which is full of inspiration and positive energy.
SPIRITUALITY
The Tourmaline is said to be an especially beneficial stone for those carrying around a broken heart since it's said to promote love while spreading and dissolving emotional blockages in the emotional as well as spiritual realms.
Depending on which colour of tourmaline you carry, its connected to a different chakra. The green tourmaline is connected to your heart chakra and opens for self-compassion. The pink tourmaline is also connected to the heart chakra and reflects the Light of Love as well as
allegedly soothing anxiety and stress.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR TOURMALINE JEWELLERY
The Tourmaline is a relatively hard gemstone and is thus very durable for jewellery. Avoid storing your Tourmaline jewellery in direct sunlight, as this may cause the colour to fade. Also, avoid high heat as this may also cause the colour to fade – if the temperature changes too rapidly, the stone may also crack.
Clean your Tourmaline jewellery with room-temperature water, mild soap, and a soft brush or cloth. It’s not recommended to use ultrasonic cleaning on Tourmaline jewellery.
Remember that you can always have your jewellery professionally cleaned at Carré.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
It’s said that the widow Empress, Tzu Hsi of China, had an affinity for Tourmaline, which made it especially popular in the latter half of the 1800-hundreds. The gemstone was not only set into fine jewellery but was also set into precious trinkets and decorations.
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY GIFT
Many gemstones are associated with a special anniversary. Jewellery with tourmaline is given as a gift on the 8th wedding anniversary, which is also called a Bronze wedding. Tourmaline's strong symbolism of tolerance and understanding of yourself and others makes a piece of jewelry set with tourmaline an extra thoughtful gift for your wedding day.
THE MANY COLORS OF TOURMALINE
It’s the Tourmaline’s many strong colours that make it especially coveted. Multi-coloured Tourmaline in a single gemstone is not uncommon. Tourmaline has different names depending on its colour.
Rubellite Tourmaline (red-purple), Chrome Tourmaline (intense green), Watermelon Tourmaline (green on the edges, red in the centre), Parti Tourmaline (multi-coloured tourmaline).
WHAT ARE GEMSTONE INCLUSIONS?
Tourmaline is a gemstone with relatively many inclusions – which are tiny crevices within the gemstone, oftentimes shaped as small feathers. Completely clear tourmaline gemstones without inclusions are especially valuable.
TOURMALINE'S GEMMOLOGY
Tourmaline consists of the elements, silicate, boron, and aluminium. Its colour is determined by which other elements affect the mineral under its creation. Tourmaline is a 7-7.5 on Moh’s Hardness Scale, which is a scale from 1-10, determining the hardness of gemstones, where 1 is the softest and 10 is the hardest. Tourmaline can be extracted in Brazil, The United States, Sri Lanka, Russia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Afghanistan.
SHOP TOURMALINE
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BLUE TOPAZ
Love & communication
TURQUOISE
Friendship, positivity & love
AMETHYST
Courage, meditation & spirituality
AQUAMARINE
Intellect, intuition & clairvoyance