Tourmaline is said to be a stone associated with reconciliation, one that fosters compassion and focus in tense situations and relieves stress. Different types of tourmaline are believed to be useful in dealing with a multitude of emotional issues; blue tourmalines can aid people who have suffered abuse and are dealing with grief and sadness, while red ones are useful for people dealing with fear for their safety. In terms of physical ailments, it is said to relieve headaches and migraines and help clear up skin disorders. In terms of color and variety, there are four different species of the stone considered important to gemologists and they come in a variety of colors, either in rainbow formations or in one color alone.
Tourmaline’s name comes from the Sinahlese ‘toramali’, or ‘mixed gem’. The stones first achieved worldwide fame when they were discovered by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s, who likely mistook the brilliant gems for emeralds; it was only centuries later that scientists realized this error. Huge mines in California in San Diego County acted as the main supply to Chinese royals in the 19th century, who couldn’t get enough of the gems; however, the collapse of the Chinese government in 1912 led to the inevitable collapse of the mining industry there shortly thereafter. Eventually, trade picked up again with the discovery of deposits in places like Brazil (currently the leading source), Afghanistan, and Madagascar.
1.614 - 1.666
0.020
2.82 - 3.32
7 - 7.5 (Moh's Scale)