What Is Tourmaline Stone?

Chemical compostion

• Tourmaline has an extremely complex chemical composition. Typically, it is an aluminumboro silicate. There are many substitutions for the aluminum, such as manganese and chromium, changing the mineral a variety of colors.

Properties

• Tourmaline is a hexagonal crystal with a hardness of 7.0 to 7.5. It comes in a variety of colors including pink, blue, yellow and green. Tourmaline is transparent to opaque and has a white streak. Tourmaline is piezoelectric and pyroelectric, meaning it forms an electrical charge when heated.

Uses

• Tourmaline is most often used in jewelry. However, because of its pyroelectric property, tourmaline was once used to clean dust out of pipes. This was done by heating the crystal, which became electrically charged. The crystal attracted dust, cleaning out the pipes. Tourmaline is also used in high-pressure gauges.

Locations

• Tourmaline is found in Italy, Madagascar, California, Maine and Russia. The largest producer of tourmaline is Brazil.

Care

• Tourmaline is susceptible to breaking from sharp blows. Avoid scratching or hitting the stone. Tourmaline should be kept from heat as it attracts dust and dirt when heated. Do not clean tourmaline in a ultrasonic cleaner.