Peridot, Tourmaline, Clear Quartz and Pearl Necklace

Peridot

Peridot is an ancient and yet currently very popular gemstone. It is so old that it can be found even in Egyptian jewellery from the early second millennium BC. The stones used in those days came from an occurrence on a little volcanic island in the Red Sea, about 70 km off the Egyptian coast, off Assuan, which was rediscovered only around 1900 and has been completely exploited since. Peridot, however, is also a very modern stone, for only a few years ago Peridot occurrences were discovered in the Cashmere region, and the stones from there show a unique beauty of colour and transparency, so that the image of the stone, which was somewhat dulled over the ages, has received an efficient polishing.

Peridot is one of the few gemstones which exist only in one colour. Finest traces of iron account for the deep green colour with a slight golden hue. Chemically Peridot is just an iron-magnesium-silicate, and the intensity of colour depends on the amount of iron contained. The colour as such can come in any variation from yellow-green and olive to brownish green. Peridot is not especially hard it only achieves about 6.5 to 7 on the Moh's scale and yet it is easy to care for and quite robust.

The most beautiful stones come from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Peridot as gemstone does also exist in Myanmar, China, the USA, Africa and Australia. Stones from East Burma, today's Myanmar, show a vivid green with fine silky inclusions. Peridot from the American state of Arizona, where it is quite popular in Native Indian jewellery, often shows a yellowish to golden brown shade.

Tourmaline

Black Tourmaline:purification, Protection
Pink Tourmaline:Love, Emotional healing
Rubellite (Red Tourmaline):Alignment of the individual and Universal heart, Healing the heart and the emotions, Rekindling one's passion for life
Green Tourmaline:Healing, Strength, Vitality, Wholeness
Watermelon Tourmaline:Calm, Joy
Blue Tourmaline (Indicolite):Higher awareness, communication
Golden Tourmaline:Will, Confidence, Inner strength
Dravite (Brown Tourmaline):Self-acceptance, Self-healing, Bringing the shadow self to consciousness, Self-love
Tourmalined Quartz:Purification, Recovery from negative influences

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 Earths 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.

In order to understand this multitude of colours you will have to polish up your knowledge of gemmology: Tourmalines are mixed of complex aluminium-borosilicate varying in their composition. The slightest changes in composition will result in completely different colours. In fact, showing one colour only are quite rare; generally one and the same crystal displays several shades and colours. Not only the wide range of colours characterises this gemstone, it also shows a remarkable dichroism. Depending on the angle of view the colour will be different or at least show different intensity. The deepest colour always appears along the main axis, a fact that the gemstone cutter has to keep in mind when cutting the stone. This gemstone is excellently suited for wearing and is uncomplicated to care for, since all Tourmalines show a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale. Thus Tourmaline is an interesting gemstone in many aspects indeed.

The different shades of colour have been assigned different names in the trade. For example, deep red Tourmaline is named "Rubellite", provided it shows the same fine -red shade in daylight and in artificial light. Should the colour change when the source of light changes, the stone will be called a "Pink Tourmaline". Blue Tourmalines are called "Indigolith", "Dravite" is a golden-brown to dark brown Tourmaline, and black Tourmalines are known as "Schorl". The latter stone is mainly used for engravings and in esotericism, where it is highly cherished because it is reputed to ward off harmful radiation from its wearer.

Pink Tourmaline
The color pink is associated with love and other matters of the heart, and pink tourmaline is the quintessential heart-chakra stone. It is a representative of the feminine, or yin energies. It is unsurpassed as a gemstone aid in healing old emotional wounds, particularly those of childhood. It emanates a soft, soothing energy that engenders feelings of comfort, safety and nurturance. In meditation, one should hold or place a pink tourmaline upon the heart chakra, visualizing a pink light radiating from the stone and ultimately encompassing the body in a pink cloud or bubble. This will infuse the entire emotional body with love and can restore a sense of wholeness.

Pink Tourmaline can be used to repair 'holes' in the auric field created by negative attachments or past abuse. Wearing or carrying a pink tourmaline crystal or gem through the day can assist one in releasing stress, worries, depression and anxiety. These crystals can help the emotionally 'numb' recover their passion and zest for life. They strengthen the link between the heart and crown chakras, opening the pathway for infusion of the heart with the highest Divine energies. They can help the timid find the courage to love, and they can increase the trait of gentleness in most individuals. Wearing Pink Tourmaline turns one into a beacon of its loving and healing energies, making it more difficult for others to project negativity in one's direction and often influencing them towards greater kindness and tolerance.

Pink Tourmaline supports emotional healing and the activation of the heart chakra. It stimulates feelings of joy, happiness and  relaxation. Due to its high lithium content, it is a powerful calming stone that can calm the emotions and the physical body. It is a partner to Black Tourmaline in relieving stress and diffusing worry or obsessive behavior. In meditation, Pink Tourmaline can aid in clearing and purifying the emotional body. It helps identify emotional patterns no longer aligned with one's spiritual growth and can assist in changing these patterns to reflect higher approaches to relationship and communication.

Pink Tourmaline is an excellent stone for children-particularly the spiritually sensitive 'Indigos'-because it provides a centering, calming energy that can assist them in considering consequence and karma before taking action.

SPIRITUAL   Pink Tourmaline activates the high-heart center and one's ability to surrender to Love. It helps one find strength in vulnerability and feel joy in all one's learning experiences.

EMOTIONAL   Pink Tourmaline is a powerful emotional imbalance and cleanser. It is one of the strongest stones for alleviating stress and the emotional imbalances that can stem from that state. It is a powerful stone for children, especially when hyperactivity or difficulty sleeping is an issue.

PHYSICAL   Pink Tourmaline helps calm and soothe the heart, assisting with angina, irregular heartbeat and recovery from heart attack. It is useful in balancing brain biochemistry to help promote a balanced mental state.

Very popular is "Verdelith", the green Tourmaline, however, if its fine -like green is caused by traces of chromium, the stone is named "Chromium-Tourmaline". But the outstanding highlight among Tourmalines is of course Paraiba Tourmaline, a gemstone showing a vivid deep blue to bluish green, found for the first time in1987 in the mines of the Brazilian state of Paraiba. In good qualities these stones are much coveted treasures. Since yellow Tourmalines from Malawi of brilliant colour have been offered on the market, the formerly missing colour yellow has been added in excellent quality to the apparently unlimited range of colours shown by the "Rainbow Gemstone".

These are by no means all the names Tourmaline has achieved: there still have to be mentioned bi-coloured and multi-coloured Tourmalines Very popular are also slices cut as cross-sections through Tourmalines, as these will render the full splendour of colours embedded in a specific Tourmaline. For example, such slices taken from Tourmalines with red heart and green border are called a "Watermelon-Tourmaline"; slices with a clear heart and a black border are called "Moors head Tourmaline".

Tourmalines are mined everywhere in the world. There are important occurrences in Brazil, in Sri Lanka and South and Southwest Africa. Other occurrences are situated in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tourmalines are also found in the USA, first of all in Maine and Utah. But although there are rich occurrences of Tourmalines all over the world, good qualities and fine colours are only rarely offered on the market. Therefore, then, the price range achieved by Tourmaline almost matches its wide range of colours.