Tourmaline - Color With Pull

Long before tourmaline became known under its own name, it was already causing confusion. Green specimens were taken for emeralds, red ones for rubies. Even the famous «Caesar's Ruby» from the Russian Crown Jewels is in fact a red tourmaline. That a gemstone can take on so many colors confounded even royal collections. GIA

This variety sits in the crystal itself. Tourmalines belong to a mineral group whose composition can vary widely. Different elements influence the color: iron plays a role in many green and blue tourmalines, manganese in pink and red ones. If conditions change during growth, several color zones can form within a single crystal. GIA

Attractive, Literally

Tourmaline can build an electric charge when warmed, and thereby attract light particles such as dust or ash. This property is called pyroelectricity. Pressure can generate a charge too - that is known as piezoelectricity. GIA

Dutch traders are said to have put the effect to practical use in the 18th century: with warmed tourmaline crystals they drew the ash out of their pipes. That is how the stone earned the name «aschentrekker», ash-puller. A rather surprising use for a gemstone we wear in fine jewelry today. IGI

Our Purchase: Three Colors, Three Favorites

At one of our gemstone purchases we selected three tourmalines from Afghanistan: a verdelite, an indicolite and a watermelon tourmaline. In color our selection ranges from deep green through cool blue-green to very delicate pastel tones. Even these three stones hint at how much creative room tourmaline offers.

Verdelite · 1.68 Carats

Deep green that stands on its own. At 1.68 carats, our verdelite is the largest of the three stones.

Verdelite is the name given to green tourmalines. Their palette runs from light, delicate nuances to deep green. Many show different hues depending on the viewing direction - turning the stone can reveal a bluish note. GIA: varieties, GIA: color characteristics

For jewelry this green is an expressive starting point. A single stone can give a plain design its entire effect.

Indicolite · 1.04 Carats

Our indicolite moves between blue and green. The cool hue reads as calm and is as easy to picture with a white shirt as with an evening look.

The name indicolite denotes blue tourmalines, greenish blue nuances included. It is exactly these in-between tones that make the variety interesting: the color cannot always be captured in a single word. At 1.04 carats, our stone brings precisely this blue-green. GIA

Watermelon Tourmaline · 0.66 Carats

A touch of pink, a touch of green. In our watermelon tourmaline the colors are very delicate - the typical combination appears here in fine pastel tones.

The watermelon tourmaline owes its name to the pink core and the green rim, which recall the cut fruit. Both colors form in the same crystal. GIA

Our specimen weighs 0.66 carats. Its appeal lies in exactly this restrained coloring: light, soft and unobtrusive. For jewelry whose special details reveal themselves only on a closer look.