View source for Tourmaline

Although used in the Mediterranean area since ancient times, '''Tourmaline''' was recognized as a separate gemstone only in the early 19th century. Prior to that time, it was generally confused with other gemstones. The name is believed to derive from the Sinhalese ''turamali'', meaning "multi-colored stone". Most people think only of the "watermelon" variety of the gem. But in fact tourmalene can occur in nearly every color of the rainbow, and each variety is named for its predominate color. ''Rubellite'' (pink tourmaline) can rival the [[ruby]] in color. It is rarer than ruby or [[spinel]] and nearly as expensive. Other popular varieties include ''verdelite'' (green tourmaline) and ''indigolite'' (blue or blue-green tourmaline). In the jewelers' trade all green tourmaline, regardless of type, is known as "chrome" tourmalene. The color ranges from bright kelly green to dark teal green. The price is usually low enough to make it an economical subsitute for [[emerald]].
[[category:gemstones]]