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Tourmaline
Tourmalines have a variety of exciting colors with one of the widest color ranges of any gem.
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Tourmaline History and Lore
Somewhere in Brazil in the 1500s, a Spanish conquistador washed the dirt from a green tourmaline crystal and confused the vibrant gem with emerald. His confusion lived on until scientists recognized tourmaline as a distinct mineral species in the 1800s.
Tourmaline Description
Tourmalines come in a wide variety of exciting colors. In fact, tourmaline has one of the widest color ranges of any gem species, occurring in various shades of virtually every hue.
Abstracts; Spring 1991
This article, from the Spring 1991 issue of Gems & Gemology, is a compilation of abstracts of important gemology-related articles published outside of Gems & Gemology.
Trapiche Tourmaline from Zambia
Well-formed crystals of green tourmaline from northwestern Zambia show a growth pattern reminiscent of trapiche emerald/ruby when sliced perpendicular to the c-axis.
Copper-Bearing Tourmalines from New Deposits in Paraíba State, Brazil
Two new deposits of Cu-bearing tourmaline have been found in Paraíba State, Brazil, not far from the original source at Mina da Batalha.
“Paraíba”-Type Copper-Bearing Tourmaline from Brazil, Nigeria, and Mozambique: Chemical Fingerprinting By LA-ICP-MS
Gem-quality bright blue to green “Paraíba”-type Cu-bearing tourmaline is now known from deposits in Africa (Nigeria and Mozambique), in addition to three commercial localities in Brazil (in Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte States).
GIA's Gübelin Gem Project: Tourmaline
Tourmalines have a very complex chemical composition, and more than a dozen mineral species are recognized within this group.
Yellow Mn-rich Tourmaline from the Canary Mining Area, Zambia
The most important source of yellow gem elbaite is the Canary mining area in the Lundazi District of eastern Zambia.
Multi-Generation Cutting Family from Idar-Oberstein
Alexander Arnoldi explains the strategy of Arnoldi International and provides an update on some new high-quality materials.
Unique Moiré-Pattern Metallic Inclusion in Paraíba Tourmaline
An intriguing inclusion scene is analyzed in a Paraíba tourmaline from Brazil.
Imitation Rubellite Boulders
Specimens presented as rubellite tourmaline rough are found to be resin imitations with lead inserts.
