Pink tourmaline bracelet (rubelite) Brazil A (grains 5-7mm)

The name tourmaline comes from "turmali" or "turamali," which is actually a Sinhalese name given to this fabulous stone from Sri Lanka by Dutch explorers in the early 18th century.

In Sri Lanka, legend has it that tourmaline comes from the sky, and during its descent to earth, it passed through a rainbow, which gave it its variations of colors. This explains the origin of its name, meaning "the stone of a thousand colors."

In fact, tourmaline has been known for millennia. Traces of this stone can be found in the 3rd century B.C. In Greece, Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) brought this stone back from his expeditions. However, tourmaline, due to its many colors, was very often confused with other minerals.

Thus, there are very few legends or myths attached to this stone due to its late identification. However, some tourmalines have piezoelectric properties, meaning they possess an electrical charge, negative at one pole and positive at the other pole. Tourmaline attracts particles.

When the philosopher Theophrastus (-322 to -288) described a stone with the ability to attract pieces of straw or wood, we understand that he was talking about tourmaline. Later, in the 18th century, Dutch explorers used tourmaline to clean their pipes because the stone attracted ashes.

As an anecdote, in the 16th century, a Spanish conquistador discovered a green tourmaline in Brazil, which he identified as an emerald. This discovery caused a rush in the Brazilian regions in search of these famous emeralds. The error was corrected in the 19th century, and the emeralds were transformed into tourmalines.

Confused many times with precious stones, tourmalines are therefore found in many jewels, and even in the British crown. One can also mention the Timur Ruby, a 352-carat jewel that was thought to be a ruby until 1851, or the Black Prince's Ruby of 170 carats, which is actually a tourmaline.

Tourmaline is increasingly popular among connoisseurs and collectors. Thus, the Empress Cixi of China (1861-1908) loved this stone so much that she began to collect it. She requested that sculptures, brooches, watch clasps, rings, etc., be made for her. Today, she rests on a cushion of tourmalines.

Tourmaline comes in various shades. They can also be bicolor or multicolor. There is a wide variety of tourmalines, of different colors, from opaque to transparent, with striated or hexagonal structures. It has a rhombohedral crystal system. It is an igneous and metamorphic rock that can originate from hydrothermal deposits.

Thus, there are several kinds of tourmalines with varied compositions such as magnesium silicates, sodium, iron, clay, fluorides, and borosilicate. Tourmalines are actually an entire family of stones that have the same internal structure but differ in chemical composition and therefore in color and appearance.

The main deposits are located in Brazil, Afghanistan, Australia, Russia, Thailand, Burma, Madagascar, India, and the United States.

The tourmaline family has many varieties identified by a proper name or a color. Thus, pink tourmaline is also called "rubellite" because of its strong resemblance to ruby. The name rubellite comes from the Latin "rubellus" meaning "reddish." Moreover, as an anecdote, in Russia, in the 17th century, a crown was adorned with pink tourmalines that had been mistaken for rubies.

Belonging to the tourmaline family, pink tourmaline or rubellite is composed of complex silicates of borosilicates, iron, alkalis, and magnesium. It also contains a high content of copper and manganese, which gives it this magnificent pink color. Pink tourmaline can be transparent, translucent, or even opaque. It should be noted that its color can change depending on the observation angle of the stone.

Sometimes rubellite has a color close to red, hence its confusion with ruby. In pink tones, we find dravite (light mahogany) and silerite (lilac pink to blue-violet). Pink tourmaline has a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. For comparison, diamond has a hardness of 10, the highest on the same scale. This hardness is particularly appreciated by jewelers in the making of their jewelry.

Pink tourmaline or rubellite was relatively affordable in terms of cost. However, demand has increased considerably, and so have prices!

The main deposits are located in Namibia, etc.

Pink tourmaline is closely related to feelings of love and tenderness. It emits vibrations that help to restore and protect psychological well-being. It promotes introspection and reconnection with one's inner self. Thus, it helps to identify the nature of buried traumas, often related to childhood and lack of love. The person can then work on these traumas and move forward. They will be able to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Thus, this stone restores self-esteem and self-confidence. It provides serenity, harmony, and inner peace. It generates trust in others and can thus develop new relationships without suspicion. It shows compassion and empathy. The person sincerely seeks to help those in need. Then, this fabulous stone teaches the person to love themselves as they are.

Pink tourmaline is known for soothing sorrows and grief. It helps to overcome life's difficulties and negative thoughts. It frees its wearer from anxiety, anguish, and morbid shyness. Moreover, it allows them to become aware of their qualities. Then, it brings a feeling of security when the wearer feels vulnerable. It encourages conflict resolution, whatever their nature.