Tourmaline is a crystal silicate mineral which is considered to have a complex chemical make up, found mostly in granite rocks.
The name “tourmaline – “stone that attracts ash” – comes from the Sinhalese word “turamali” and is attributed to the stone’s special electrical Conductivity.
Tourmaline appears in various colors: iron-rich tourmaline will be blue-black to brown, while lithium-rich tourmaline can appear in almost every color – green, pink, yellow, red and more, with over 95% types of tourmaline being schorl.
The most prestigious tourmaline used in jewelry making is indicolite, which is blue. The green verdelite and pink rubellite are also very popular. Decorative quality tourmalines are produced mainly in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Italy and Colorado, in the United States. In Israel, tourmaline can be found near Eilat.
