TOURMALINE is the birthstone for the month of October. Tourmaline is one of the most popular gemstones among collectors as well as jewelry lovers. For centuries tourmalines have adorned the jewels of royalty. The Empress Dowager Tz’u Hsi, the last empress of China, valued the rich pink colors above all other gemstones. The name comes from the Singhalese word turamali, meaning mixed-colored stones because tourmalines come in all colors from colorless to black. The range of colors is so wide that it can satisfy just about any fashion requirement. Perhaps this is why ancient mystics believed tourmaline could encourage artistic intuition: it has the palette to express every mood. No two tourmalines are exactly alike. This gemstone has an endless number of faces, and for that reason it suits all moods. No wonder that magical powers have been attributed to it since ancient times. In particular, it is the gemstone of love and of friendship, and is said to render them firm and long-lasting. Tourmalines are gems with an incomparable variety of colors. The reason, according to an old Egyptian legend, is that the tourmaline, on its long journey up from the centre of the Earth, passed over a rainbow. In doing so, it assumed all the colors of the rainbow. And that is why it is still referred to as the ‘gemstone of the rainbow’ today.(ICSA)
