TO U R M A L I N E

 

Hardness 7-7,5
Modern birthstone: October

 

Tourmaline is unique because of its amazing variety of colours. The crystal grows gradually changing colour. Another incredible fact about tourmaline is that depending on where it is from, the colour range changes within the crystal, Brazil produces crystals that grow from red to green on the outside rather like a watermelon, and Southern Africa produces crystals that grow from green to red on the outside. It is very unusual to find an entire crystal of tourmaline in one colour. This is why it is very unusual and difficult to find a perfectly matching pair of tourmalines of any significant size If there is a large piece of crystal, it would more often than not be cut into one large stone because it can be sold for much more per carat, as opposed to cutting it into a pair. Another reason that it is so difficult to match, even if you have one and are trying to match it. There is such a range of colours, for example

Rubilite- red-intense pink, the red being the most valuable