| Rockhounding has become pretty popular in America. | | | | been cut from large tourmaline |
| I would call it a safe bet that everyone at least | | | | crystals, and many of the large cut gems are |
| knows a die hard rockhound - if they aren't one | | | | flawless -- and spectacular. |
| themselves. There is unquestionably something very | | | | Cutting gemstones is not the only value of |
| special about gems that | | | | tourmaline, however. It is also used |
| you find yourself. Ever wonder where it all started | | | | to make a polarizing apparatus (tourmaline tongs), |
| for Us in the USA? | | | | pressure measuring |
| In 1820 tourmaline was discovered by Elijah Hamilin | | | | equipment, and specialist microphones. Scientists can |
| and Ezekiel Homes at | | | | use tourmaline to gain |
| Mount Mica, Maine. By 1822 America had it's first | | | | knowledge of the geological past for the area in |
| gemstone mine. It is hard to imagine another gem | | | | which the crystals are found.In the United States |
| being so right to represent the avent of America's | | | | tourmaline can be found in abundance in southern |
| love of gem hunting.Having a hardness of 7.5, | | | | California, Connecticut, Maine, New York and Texas. |
| tourmaline makes easily workable gem faciting | | | | It has also been found in |
| material. It also comes in every color and hue | | | | Idaho, South Dakota, North Carolina, and a few |
| imaginable. Many crystals | | | | other states in lesser quantities.Worldwide, tourmaline |
| contain several colors within one stone, the | | | | is found in Africa, Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, |
| "watermelon" stone with it's pink | | | | Myanmar, |
| center and green outer layers being the most well | | | | Namibia, Sri Lanka, and The Isle of Elba.Identifying |
| known. Buergerite, elbaite, | | | | factors for those hunting tourmaline are:Color - from |
| schrol, utive, foitite dravite, povondravite, | | | | transparent to black, often multi-colored |
| chromdravite, feruvite aliddicoatite, | | | | Luster - vitreous to resinous |
| olenite are all mineral species of tourmaline, making | | | | Streak - uncolored |
| 11 mineral species in all.Tourmaline produces some | | | | Cleavage - none |
| sizable crystals, the usual range falling from under | | | | Fracture - variable |
| an inch long to over a foot long and several inches | | | | Specific Gravity - 3.0 - 3.2 |
| wide. Needless to say many | | | | Chemistry - SiO2 + B, Al |
| spectacular huge gems, a 400 carate pink/red stone, | | | | Crystal System - hexagonal |
| 256 carate blue/green, a | | | | Hardness - 7.0 - 7. |
| 75 pound green/pink to name a just a few, have | | | | |