422g / 0.930bs / 14.89oz
3.68" x 2.74" x 1.75"
Tourmaline is a complex aluminum borosilicate with a hardness of 7 to 7.5. Its crystal pattern is hexagonal (trigonal) with prismatic crystals and striations running parallel to the main axis. No other gemstone has such wide variations in colors. Tourmalines can be red, pink, yellow, brown, black, and various shades of green, blue lilac and violet. Often the colors vary, sometimes widely, within a single specimen. Crystals with a pink center, surrounded by an outer layer of green, are called Watermelon Tourmaline.
Heating and cooling or rubbing a Tourmaline crystal can cause it to become electrically charged, with one end negative and the other positive. When charged, the crystal will attract dust particles or bits of paper. This property of pyroelectricity (from heat) or piezoelectricity (from pressure or rubbing) was known to Dutch traders who used the crystals to pull ashes from their meerschaum pipes, and they called them aschentrekkers or ‘ash pullers.’
The major areas where Tourmaline is found include Brazil (the largest), the United States, Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Russia.
Hematite is an iron oxide mineral with a hardness of 5 to 6. Its crystal system is hexagonal (trigonal). Its name is derived from the Greek word for blood, a reference to the color of this mineral in powdered form. Crystals are uncommon, but mostly tabular when they do occur. Occasionally they form as rosettes.
Most Hematite in the marketplace is massive in form, with a metallic gray color. Hematite can occur as an inclusion in Quartz crystals, sometimes with Ajoite, displaying a reddish-brown color.
Hematite is an abundant mineral and is the major mineral in most iron ore deposits. Fine grades of Hematite, suitable for polishing, are found in several locations in Brazil.
Specular Hematite, which reflects light in remarkable sparkling patterns, is found in Michigan, USA. In recent years, a process for reconstituting and magnetizing Hematite has been developed, and magnetic Hematite stones and beads have appeared in the marketplace.