Buy a Tourmaline
Tourmalines are the most colorful gemstones found in nature. A member of the quartz family, these stones are a versatile and beautiful stone for jewelry. According to the Gemological Society, the tourmaline is the traditional gift for the 8th wedding anniversary. It also is the birthstone for October as an alternative to the opal. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Choose your color. Tourmalines can be colorless, white, pink, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black or multi colored. Some tourmalines also have a white streak running through them. Single colored stones are rare. Most are bicolored, and can look completely different depending upon the angle from which it is viewed (pleochroism). Hold your tourmaline up to both natural and artificial light to get a complete picture of the stone's color properties. The light quality can change the stone's appearance drastically. The most valuable stones are pink, intense red and bright green.
2. Find out where the stone was produced. Brazil and Africa are home to the highest number of tourmalines, but they are found in many places throughout the world. South Africa produces the highly desired red and green "watermelon" variety while the valuable intense red, bright green and white colored stones are found in Brazil. High quality stones can also be found in Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Siberia, California and Maine.
3. Make sure the stone is really a tourmaline. Identifying qualities include long crystal formation, high double refraction and pleochroism. There are no synthetic tourmalines. Because of the richness in color variation, the tourmaline is often mistaken for amythest, citrine, ruby, peridot, smoky quartz, emerald, pink topaz or colored glass. Check with a gemologist if you are unsure that the stone you have is really a tourmaline.
4. Familiarize yourself with the properties of tourmalines that may be important to you. These stones are electrically charged and will attract paper if rubbed. They have been used to clean the ashes from fireplaces. Like all members of the quartz family, tourmalines contain water. For this reason, they will react to body temperature when touched. Proponents of the healing properties of stones believe that you can choose the right tourmaline by feeling and rubbing each stone. The one that gives the most heat back to you is meant for you. In general the tourmaline is supposed to balance energy, protect the wearer from harm, help the wearer to be more open to other people and be more persuasive in expressing ideas. Certain colors are thought to bring additional qualities to the wearer. Buy a green stone to bring success in business or a red stone for energy, courage and sexual prowess. Blue stones are thought to promote spiritual awareness while a white stone signifies purity.
5. Take proper care of your tourmaline to ensure years of enjoyment. Keep your stone and its setting clean and free from particles. Gemologists highly recommend that a tourmaline only be cleaned by a professional. If you must clean your stone at home, use a soft brush, mild soap and lukewarm water. Although tourmalines register a hardy 7-7.5 out of 10 on hardness tests, take care to protect the stone from scratches. Extreme temperatures should also be avoided.
Tags: bright green, colored stones, intense bright, intense bright green, quartz family, really tourmaline
