TOURMALINE
Transparent and polychromatic stone, that is to say that it exists in multiple colors, it is composed mostly of aluminum silicate. It offers the entire palette of colors according to its chemical composition and place of extraction, so it can also have several names. This gem is pyroelectric and piezoelectric, meaning it charges with electricity under the effect of heat and pressure.
It is believed that it has been known for so long because when the continents drifted, long bands of stone separated from each other, which would explain why we find it on several continents (Asia, Europe and the Americas).
Its name comes from Sinhalese (Sri Lankan language) "Turamali" which means stone of mixed colors. It received its official name in the 18th century, until then it was often confused with other gems such as amethyst, emerald, ruby and peridot.
The ancient Egyptians had a legend according to which tourmalines would come from the center of the Earth and would have undertaken a long journey. In the course of this voyage they would have crossed a rainbow, claiming its colors. It has also been called the "chameleon of gems".
The greatest admirer of tourmaline was Empress Tzu Hsi, who had intaglios, watch chain pins and buttons made for the jackets of the Imperial Court and important people around her. As if this was not enough, the empress rests on a tourmaline cushion.
Muse stone of writers and poets, it generates wisdom, tranquility and serenity in couples. It plays an important role in the balance between the 7 chakras, in particular because it is polychromatic and acts on different chakras according to its color.
Pink tourmaline, for example, is the stone of self-love and emotional healing. It represents a powerful aid to love and forgive others. It soothes emotional wounds and scars linked to childhood by radiating maternal energy and confers confidence to whoever chooses to wear one.
Tourmaline is said to be able to clarify ideas and dispel doubts, thus increasing intellectual activity. Worn as a pendant, it renews the energy of the whole body while driving away bad energies, which is why it is linked to happiness and luck.
Tourmaline exists in almost all colors, it can be colorless (achroite), black (schorl, the most common variety, and dravite), brown or yellow (dravite and buergerite), red or pink (rubellite), blue or green (verdelite).
One of the rarest varieties is the Paraíba tourmaline, from Brazil, which has an electric blue color. The rarest variety is indicolite, which is blue in color. Some have more than one color such as watermelon tourmaline with its red center and green outer edge.
The largest producer worldwide is Brazil. Several deposits are also registered in the United States, Australia, Madagascar and several other countries in Africa.