Tourmaline

Protection  •  Cleansing  •  Balance  •  Connection with Nature Spirits

Tourmalines are found in every colour of the rainbow.  They are cleansing crystals that protect and remove negativity, and attract positive thought and energy.  Below are generic properties for all Tourmalines, see each individual collections for specific properties for each variation of Tourmaline.

Scroll to the bottom to choose your special piece of Tourmaline  ♡


HISTORY

An Egyptian legend believed that Tourmaline is found in many colours because it travelled along a rainbow and show in all the rainbow's colours.  

Tourmaline is often mistaken for other crystals.  Many stones in the Russian Crown Jewels from the 17th Century were once thought to be rubies but are actually Tourmalines.  

Tourmaline was known for centuries by the name School, but the name Tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese (Sri Lanka) words "Tura Mali" Maning "unknown gemstones of mixed colours".  

Tourmaline was known as the gem of sensitive poets and creative artists.  Shakespeare even had a collection of Tourmaline jewellery to help him overcome writer's block.  Tourmaline was believed to inspire creativity and was used as a talisman by artists and writers from the Renaissance through the Victorian Age.  

Magicians living in the Andes mountains used tourmaline to create magical staffs to access the world's ancient knowledge.

Ancient Indian ceremonies used Tourmaline for enlightenment and to help in seeking good. They also used it to bring insight as to what was causing trouble.

Tourmaline has been used in sonar apparatus and other devices that detect and measure pressure.  Because of its electric charge capabilities, the demand for Tourmaline increased in WW11 for the production of pressure sensitive gauges for submarine sonar instruments and other war equipment.

Tourmalines of all colors can be electrically charged by rubbing your fingers on each end, resulting in the attraction of particles in the air.

Specimens with attractive colours and crystal forms can sell for thousands of dollars.

 

EMOTIONAL PROPERTIES

  • Helps us to understand ourself and others
  • Increases our confidence
  • Releases fear and feelings of being a victim
  • Inspires
  • Increases our tolerance
  • Releases negative thought patterns and invokes positive thought
  • Brings balance

 

SPIRITUAL PROPERTIES

  • Cleanses, purifies and transforms dense, heavy energy into a lighter vibration
  • Grounds spiritual energy
  • Forms a protective shield around us
  • Removes blockages and clears our Aura
  • Disperses negative energy from our Aura
  • Identifies solutions to problems
  • Balance, cleanse and connect our Chakras
  • A shamanic stone that protects during rituals
  • Connects us with Devic energy (Nature and Spirits of Nature)


 
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Tourmaline may be helpful for:

  • A powerful mental healer, balancing the left and right hemisphere's of the brain
  • Paranoia 
  • Dyslexia
  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Tension


ENVIRONMENTAL PROPERTIES

  • A natural insecticide and encourages plant growth (place in soil under or next to your plant)


 
FACTS

APPEARANCE and VARIATIONS

Transparent to translucent to nearly opaque.

Tourmaline is not one mineral, but a fairly complex group of minerals with different chemical compositions and physical properties. 

BLACK TOURMALINE, known as “schorl” is rich in iron, which causes dark shades from deep brown to bluish-black. This variety makes up 95 percent of all tourmaline.

BLUE TOURMALINE, also called Indicolite, can appear purplish blue or bluish green, depending on the amount of iron and titanium. BROWN TOURMALINE Dravite or Brown Tourmaline is rich in magnesium, causing colours ranging from brown to yellow. It’s named for the Drave District of Carinthina (now Slovenia) where this stone is found.

COLOURLESS TOURMALINE, also called Achroite is very rare.

GREEN TOURMALINE, also called Verdelite gains its colour from chrome and vanadium, it’s also called a Chrome Tourmaline.

PINK TOURMALINE Rubellite or Red Tourmaline is caused by manganese. If the colour is less vibrant under different light sources, it may be called Pink Tourmaline.

PURPLE OR GREENISH BLUE TOURMALINE, also called Paraíba Tourmaline is a vividly coloured purplish or greenish blue variety found in Paraíba, Brazil. It’s the most recently discovered, and because of its desirably intense colors, it’s one of the most valuable. The element copper is responsible for its vivid colors. Copper-bearing tourmaline is also found in other parts of the world such as Mozambique and Nigeria; but only copper-bearing tourmaline from Paraíba, Brazil is called “Paraíba tourmaline.”

WATERMELON TOURMALINE displays more than one colour, due to chemical fluctuations during crystallisation. A common colour combination is green and pink. These are often cut in slices to reveal a red center surrounded by a green rim, earning the name “Watermelon Tourmaline.”

CRYSTAL FAMILY:    Silicate Mineral

FORMATION:   The most spectacular tourmaline crystals are formed by hydrothermal activity. These crystals form when hot waters and vapors carry the elements needed to form tourmaline into pockets, voids, and fractures, which offer an open space for crystal growth. The tourmaline crystals formed in these cavities range in size from tiny millimeter crystals to massive prisms weighing over 100 kilograms.

CRYSTAL SYSTEM:   Trigonal

CRYSTAL HABIT:  Prismatic

CHEMICAL FORMULA:  XY3Z6(T6O18)(BO3)3V3W

HARDNESS:   7 on the Mohs scale

ORIGIN:   North and South America, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
 

GENERAL

CHAKRA:  dependant on colour

BIRTHSTONE:  October

ZODIAC:  -

ANNIVERSARY:   -

PLANETS:   Coming soon

CLEANSING:  Our favourite way to cleanse Tourmaline is by a rainbow, we site ours on the rainbows made from crystals hanging in our window!  Water is the next best option, it cleanses quickly so a quick rinse under some calming moon water is enough.   

CARE:  Tourmaline can be scratched or shattered from harder crystals.  Changes in temperature can cause the crystal to fracture, keep away from heaters and out of hot cars.  Tourmalines are brittle, never put them in an ultrasonic cleaner.  


 
REFERENCES:
Adam Barralet – www.adambarrralet.com, ,  Judy Hall – The Crystal Bible,  www.geology.com,  www.en.wikipedia.org, www.americangemsociety.org

All information provided on this website is for educational purposes only. The products listed on www.hiahbymiah.co.nz and @hiah.bymiah are not intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. www.hiahbymiah.co.nz offers information that is provided for recreational and personal reference purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional care. 

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