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Tourmaline jewelry

Make someone’s life a little more colorful.

Tourmaline comes in more colors than any other stone. It’s been mistaken for emeralds and confused with rubies, but it’s always been given credit for making love and friendship last. If you’ve ever received a gift of tourmaline jewelry, you know that must be true!

Not only does tourmaline come in a variety of colors, from red to green and blue to yellow, but sometimes an individual stone can have several colors within it, changing as it moves in the light. This makes tourmaline an especially captivating, intriguing stone – especially when jewelers are able to showcase these shifting colors with a skillful cut.

Color and pedigree

Tourmaline comes in dozens of colors, but green and pink are the most popular. Some colors have practically no inclusions, others have more. Many tourmalines are heat–treated to enhance their color. Red and pink tourmalines are often heated and (safely) irradiated, and may have small fractures that are filled with oil or resin.

Tourmaline comes from many places all over the world, including California and Maine here in the United States.

Taking it home

Take care when wearing your beautiful tourmaline jewelry, because it’s only moderately resistant to scratches, rating 7 to 7 1/2 on the Mohs Hardness Scale (10 is diamond–hard). Its resistance to chipping and breaking can be anywhere from good to low, depending on the individual gem.

If your tourmaline jewelry has fracture fillings or noticeable inclusions, liquid and ultrasonic cleaners could damage it. Your safest choice is to use mild soapy detergent and water, and avoid hard scrubbing.

When to choose tourmaline Tourmaline jewelry offers you such a wide range of color choices, there’s a piece of tourmaline jewelry out there for everyone. Multicolor tourmaline is perfect for someone who likes the idea of wearing a stone that’s beautiful but a little unusual. And it’s easy to find a piece that will go beautifully with the fine gemstone jewelry she already owns.

Pink tourmaline jewelry is perfect for someone who wears lots of pastel colors.