October's Birthstone: Gorgeous Tourmaline!

October's Birthstone: Gorgeous Tourmaline!

I fell in love with black tourmaline long before I knew what it was. I love black gemstones, and to me, they feel as compatible with nearly everything as pearls.

Can you even think of an outfit that wouldn't work with a classic black gemstone?

One of my reasons for loving black tourmaline — also known as schorl — is that it facets and sparkles beautifully, and its stones can be considerably larger than most black spinel stones.

What I didn't realize was just how many colors tourmaline comes in! And, as one of October’s birthstones, the symbolism of tourmaline is rich and packed with positivity.

Tourmaline's colors

Tourmaline is actually a group of minerals with similar chemical composition and remarkable color variety. Tourmaline can be pink, green, blue, red, purplish, yellow, brown, black, or several colors at once.

It’s as if tourmaline offers a breadth of personalities, including watermelon tourmaline, which is a favorite for many of us — blush pink and minty green in the same stone, or more vivid red-pink and deeper green.

And bicolor and multicolor tourmalines? Lovely and surprising!

Special names for special stones

Known for its breadth of hues, tourmaline has special names for its most beautiful colors. A few of these are:

  • Rubellite — deep red, or vivid pink, or reddish purple
  • Indicolite — soft aquamarine-like blue to deeper green-blue
  • Paraiba — neon blue-green, considered the rarest hue and very pricey
  • Verdelite — soft green to emerald green
  • Chrome tourmaline — vivid green

Plum tourmaline, sometimes called plum blossom tourmaline, is a trade name for an interesting variant — pinkish-purple patterning on white or gray (seen below).

And of course, there's watermelon tourmaline, with a pink center and green outer ring, along with other multicolor and bicolor tourmalines.

Fun facts about tourmaline

Among the interesting things to know:

  • Tourmaline is a 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale, which makes it suitable for many kinds of jewelry.
  • Tourmaline also varies in clarity, with some stones transparent and others more opaque.
  • Tourmaline can be found in Brazil, Mozambique, Zambia, Madagascar, and even the US. In fact, it was mined in Maine as well as California.
  • Tourmaline has been mistaken for other gemstones, and some stones once thought to be rubies in the Russian crown jewels turned out to be tourmaline.
  • Paraiba tourmaline is one of the most expensive gemstones in the world, due to its scarcity and of course, its stunning beauty. It's known for its vivid neon blue-green color.
  • The world’s largest Paraiba tourmaline was discovered in Mozambique in 2003 although its cutting wasn't finished until 2025! It is a flawless stone weighing over 180 carats.

Tourmaline's symbolism

One of the things that I love about tourmaline's symbolism is that each color brings its own particular meaning.

  • Black tourmaline is thought to bring protection, in particular chasing away negative energy, and is considered most useful during times of stress.
  • Green tourmaline symbolizes growth and vitality.
  • Pink tourmaline is all about unconditional love, but also compassion, emotional healing, and humanitarianism.
  • Red tourmaline (rubellite) symbolizes passion.
  • Blue tourmaline symbolizes peace and clear communication.
  • Watermelon tourmaline, perhaps unsurprisingly given its coloring, is all about reconciliation, balance of opposing forces, and friendship. Some believe it also attracts money!

By the way...

Pablo Picasso, one of the best-known modern artists, has an October birthday, the 25th.

You may be less familiar with Lee Krasner, born October 27, one of the leading female artists of what is referred to as the New York School of abstract expressionism. As was so often the (unfortunate) norm in the past, Krasner’s husband, Jackson Pollock, became famous for his work, while Krasner's took a back seat.

That said, Krasner's large-scale paintings are beautiful, filled with swirling energy and color. You can see her works in collections in major museums like MoMA, and I encourage you to do so.

Jewelry shown above:

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