SEDAGEMS

TOURMALINE BIRTHSTONE FOR OCTOBER.

This is a  beautiful natural Rubullite stone that i purchased from the Cruzeiro mine in Brazil on my last trip.This famous mine has been in the family for 6 generations.

Natural unheated

Cut oval

Mohs scale 7-7.5

The video is taken in full sun

The rubellite is a particularly beautiful gemstone from the colourful family of the tourmalines. Its colour shines in the most beautiful nuances from red to shocking pink. Tourmalines are closely related gemstones which have been created by Nature in many different colours.  In the trade, as a rule, it is not the case that each individual variety has its own name. Instead, the name tourmaline is used and the colour simply added, hence red, green, blue or yellow tourmaline. The exception, however, proves the rule. This also applies to the tourmaline and, in particular, to red and pink specimens. There are red and pink tourmalines in many nuances, which include a tender pink, a fine shocking pink, an intense violet and a bold ruby-red. However, only a few of these are entitled to call themselves ‘rubellites’. The name comes from the Latin ‘rubellus’, which means reddish. Rubellites are not merely red or shocking pink tourmalines. There is an important criterion for this especially beautiful gemstone, and that is the way its colour behaves in daylight and artificial light. Many gemstones change their colour depending on the light source. A true rubellite does not. It shines just as intensely in artificial light as it does in daylight. The colour of most other pink or red tourmalines, by contrast,  displays a more or less clearly visible tinge of brown in artificial light.

Nealry all rubellits have inclusions-this is what the ICA states about it-

 Whilst   coloured gemstones in good qualities should as a rule be as free of   inclusions as possible, they are looked upon with some favour in the   case of the rubellite: indeed it is inclusions that render this stone   really interesting from the point of view of the connoisseur. Having   said that, they should be subtle, and they must not upset the way in   which the light passes through this magnificent gemstone, for that could   make it look cloudy or milky. Nevertheless, a rubellite with only a few fine inclusions is of course more valuable than one with inclusions   which are clearly visible.