Toemaline

Tourmaline is a cyclosilicate mineral. Its hardness ranges from 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale, making it slightly softer than emerald. Tourmaline comes in different varieties and colors:

Achroite: Nearly colorless

Rubellite: Pink - Red

Dravite: Yellow-brown to dark brown

Verdelite: Green

Indigolite: Blue

Siberite: Lilar red to violet blue

Schorl: Black

Sometimes two to three different colors occur in a single stone. A well-known example of this is "Watermelon": red with a green rim.

The value of tourmaline varies significantly by type, size and color. the Paraiba, a blue and green variety, from a very limited area in Brazil is more valuable than diamonds.

Most tourmalines are mined in Brazil. They are also mined in Africa and Asia.