How to clean it
Warm soapy water. Avoid ultrasonic if the stone has inclusions, which many do.
Every colour; often several in one crystal
Tourmaline
The birthstone for October.
Is Tourmaline a birthstone?
Yes. Tourmaline is the modern birthstone for October.
Properties
Composition
Complex boron silicate with variable aluminium, iron, magnesium, lithium
Hardness (Mohs)
7–7.5
Crystal system
Trigonal
Colour
Every colour; often several in one crystal
Mined in
Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique, Afghanistan, USA (Maine)
Worth knowing
Tourmaline develops an electric charge when heated or squeezed. Watermelon tourmaline grows pink at the core and green at the rim.
History
Dutch traders in the 1700s noticed it attracted ash when warmed — the pyroelectric effect.
Practical
Caring for Tourmaline
How to tell it is real
Genuine tourmaline is pyroelectric — warm it and it attracts dust and small paper fragments. Glass does nothing.
One general rule covers most mistakes: never store stones loose together. Diamond at 10 on the Mohs scale scratches everything else you own, and it does not need much contact to do it.
What that hardness means in practice
Matches quartz, so ordinary dust will not scratch it. Fine for rings, though decades of wear will show at the edges.
Traditional associations
Tourmaline is traditionally associated with protection and grounding, especially the black variety. In chakra systems it is placed at the Varies by colour — black for Root, pink for Heart, and in elemental correspondence it is assigned to Earth.
These are cultural associations recorded across various traditions, not claims about physical effects. The composition and hardness above are measurable; this paragraph is folklore, and worth reading as such.
Questions
What is Tourmaline made of?
Complex boron silicate with variable aluminium, iron, magnesium, lithium, crystallising in the trigonal system.
Which month is Tourmaline the birthstone for?
October.
Where does Tourmaline come from?
Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique, Afghanistan, USA (Maine).
How do I clean Tourmaline?
Warm soapy water. Avoid ultrasonic if the stone has inclusions, which many do.
How can I tell if Tourmaline is real?
Genuine tourmaline is pyroelectric — warm it and it attracts dust and small paper fragments. Glass does nothing.
Can I wear it every day?
At 7–7.5 on the Mohs scale, yes — it resists everyday scratching.