Tourmaline is my gemstone of choice. It is the most multicolored mineral type known, occurring in virtually every color of the spectrum and I fell head over heels for this gem long time ago. To me, tourmalines are girls best friends and to make a point, I decided to dedicate my Spring 18 collection to this nature's wonder.
Ancient legend says that tourmaline is found in all colors because it traveled along a rainbow and gathered all the the rainbow's colors.
The name tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese term “turmali,” which was the name given to all colored crystals on the island of Sri Lanka at that time. This all inclusive name indicates the inability of ancient gem dealers to differentiate tourmaline from other stones. In fact, at one time in history, pink and red tourmaline were thought to be rubies. Pink tourmaline tends to be pinker in color than ruby. However, their similarities in appearance are so strong that the stones in the Russian crown jewels believed to be rubies for centuries, are now thought to be tourmalines.
Now, let's talk about carved tourmaline, my latest obsession. There is something magical about these carvings and it's not just the gemstone luster that lures me in. The craftsmanship of the carvers, the ancient technique used and of course the imagination and transformation into something whimsical is what adds the magic of any piece of jewelry that uses this magnificent gem.
