 Tourmalines
are precious stones displaying a unique
splendour of colours. According to an ancient
Egyptian legend this is the result of the
fact that on the long way from the Earth’s
heart up towards the sun, Tourmaline travelled
along a rainbow. And on its way it collected
all the colours of the rainbow. This is
why nowadays it is called the "Rainbow
gemstone”.
However, the name "Tourmaline”
has been derived from the Singhalese expression
"tura mali”, which translates
as "stone of mixed colours.”
The very name already refers to the unique
spectrum of colours displayed by this gemstone,
which is second to none in the realm of
precious stones. Tourmalines are red and
green, range from blue to yellow. Often
they show two or more colours and are cherished
for this parti- or multi-coloured appearance.
There are Tourmalines which change their
colour from daylight to artificial light,
others display chattoyance. No Tourmaline
exactly resembles another one: this gemstone
shows many faces and is thus excellently
suited to match all moods and tempers. It
does not come as a surprise, then, that
ever since ancient days it has been attributed
with magical powers. Tourmaline is supposed
to be an especially powerful influence on
love and friendship, lending them permanence
and stability.
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