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Tourmaline

Tourmalines have a wide variety of exciting colors with one of the widest color ranges of any gem.

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26.32-ct.

This 26.32-ct. oval pink tourmaline is from Mozambique.

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Rubellite

Trade name for pink, red, purplish red, and orangy red tourmaline.

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Inclusions

It’s not unusual for pink tourmalines to have eye-visible inclusions.

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California

This beautiful tourmaline mineral specimen is from California.

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Columnar Form

The specimen displays tourmaline’s characteristic columnar form.

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Fantastic Crystal

Fantastic pink tourmaline crystal with quartz with other minerals.

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Tools

Research

Heitor Barbosa discovered Paraíba tourmaline in 1989 after almost a decade of mining. Photo by Duncan Pay.
In Memoriam: Heitor Barbosa

The life of the discoverer of Paraíba tourmaline is remembered.

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Figure 1. A 2.52 ct oval modified brilliant Paraíba tourmaline. Photo by Adriana Gudino.
Interesting Metallic Platelets in a Brazilian Paraíba Tourmaline

Microscopic observation unveils the first known instance of skeletal metallic inclusions in Brazilian Paraíba tourmaline.

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Figure 1. A 16.96 ct emerald-cut green tourmaline from rough found near a new pocket at the Tourmaline King mine. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Pala International.
New Tourmaline Pockets in San Diego County’s Pala District

Bill and Carl Larson share details about new tourmaline pocket discoveries at the Tourmaline King mine.

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The copper inclusions produce a golden chatoyancy.
Cat’s-Eye Paraíba Tourmaline with Copper Inclusions

The Tokyo laboratory examines a Paraíba tourmaline with chatoyancy caused by copper inclusions.

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This 1.21 ct diamond exhibits a natural red color.
Exceptional Natural-Color Fancy Red Diamond

An extremely rare natural-color red diamond is submitted to the Carlsbad laboratory.

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Diopside crystals take the shape of an exclamation point in tourmaline.
Small “Surprise” in Elbaite Tourmaline

Diopside crystals observed in elbaite tourmaline resemble an exclamation point.

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This Paraíba tourmaline contains a set of stellate zircon needles.
Stellate Zircon in a Paraíba Tourmaline

Fiber-optic light reveals a remarkable set of stellate inclusions in blue-green Paraíba tourmaline.

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Dislocation pattern in this heat-treated blue sapphire resembles smoke rings.
“Smoke Rings” in a Non-Beryllium-Diffused Sapphire

A rare look at a smoke ring pattern identified in sapphire without the presence of beryllium.

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Review of Pegmatites and Their Gem Minerals, by Michael Menzies and Jeffrey Scovil.
Book Review: Pegmatites and Their Gem Minerals

Review of Pegmatites and Their Gem Minerals by Michael Menzies and Jeffrey Scovil.

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Twelve jewelry designers from all over the U.S. will use these 12 stones in one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
The Big Find: Celebrating 50 Years of Maine Tourmaline

The historic discovery of a Maine tourmaline source is celebrated through jewelry designs featuring gems unearthed 50 years ago.

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