The Sri Lankan expression “tura malli” means ‘a stone of many colors’. Tourmaline is available in a range of colors and some stones even show bi-coloration. It has been called the “rainbow gemstone”. Ancient Egyptian belief was that when Tourmaline traveled from the depths of the earth to its surface, it brought a rainbow in order to announce its arrival.

Due to Tourmaline’s electrical properties it has often been used to transfer energy and for cleaning the pipes. The Dutch brought Tourmaline to Europe in 1703. It was then used to clean pipes utilizing its piezoelectric property to attract small particles of dust and ash.

Chatoyancy or chatoyance, is an optical effect seen in some opaque or translucent gemstones. Chatoyancy is caused by the fibrous structure of a material, or by the fibrous inclusions or cavities within the stone. The rutile precipitates are all aligned perpendicularly with respect to cat’s eye effect.

The effect is similar to the sheen off a spool of silk. The luminous streak of reflected light is perpendicular to the fibers. A gemstone cut with the fibers parallel to the base exhibit chatoyancy. Faceted stones are less likely to show the effect well.

Tourmaline is believed to be a spiritual stone which can stimulate the artistic assets of its wearer. Cat’s eye Tourmaline is considered rather rare, distinguished by its beauty and coloration.

Tourmaline is is a cyclosilicate mineral found in pegmatites, granite and marble. It is found with elements such as aluminum, iron, magnesium and potassium. Minas Gerais mines in Brazil yield the world’s most beautiful Tourmaline gemstones. Tourmaline comes in many species and varieties, named after the specific localities in which they were found.

Tourmaline must be cleaned only with soap and water. Colorful tourmaline gems are extremely fragile and should be stored away from harder stones.