![]() ![]() Opal & Tourmaline Have Become the Staple Birthstones of October.īirthstones are gemstones that accompany a birth month, each having a unique meaning and historical significance also represent the month of a person's birth. Rose Cut Diamond and Rose Cut Gemstone Jewelry.Today, only a few mines in San Diego County occasionally produce gem-quality tourmaline. With the death of Cixi in 1908 and the subsequent overthrow of the Qing dynasty, the heyday of tourmaline mining in California ended. To feed Empress Dowager Cixi’s obsession with the vibrant colour, San Diego mines sent 120 tons of gem rubellite to Imperial China between 19. In 1898, California’s first commercial tourmaline mine opened at the Himalaya pegmatite in the Mesa Grande district – famed for the production of fine rubellite. The Dunton mine, near Plumbago Mountain, is the most prolific producer of tourmaline in Maine. Even today, a quarry at Mount Mica intermittently produces various colours of gem tourmaline. Maine’s first major tourmaline deposit was discovered in 1820 at Mount Mica in Paris, by two young boys exploring the local area. For more than a century, they have sporadically yielded large quantities of tourmaline. ![]() In the United States, both Southern California and Maine host several pegmatite districts. Old tunnel entrance at the Tourmaline King mine. These and other cases of mistaken identity continued for centuries until scientists recognised tourmaline as a distinct mineral species in the 1800s. A Spanish conquistador found green tourmaline crystals in Brazil in the 1500s and confused the stones with emerald. One of the “rubies” in the Russian crown jewels, the “Caesar’s Ruby” pendant, is actually red (rubellite) tourmaline. Among the most popular are the pink and red rubellites, the emerald green “chrome” tourmalines, and the neon green and blue-to-violet “paraíba” tourmalines.īecause of its vast range of colours, tourmaline was often mistaken for other gemstones. Perhaps this is why ancient mystics believed that this October birthstone could inspire artistic expression – it has a colour palette for every mood. Very few gems match tourmaline’s dazzling array of colours. The name comes from the Sinhalese word toramalli, which means “stone with mixed colours”, because it often has multiple colours in one crystal. Tourmaline is the newer October birthstone. The mines are a tourist destination, and getting to them requires taking a dirt road through dense forests of pine and oak, past scrubby plateaus of cacti and shrubs, and up winding mountain roads. Querétero, a state in Mexico, is known for producing fire opal in yellow, orange and reddish orange to red, some with good play-of-colour. Its treasures are buried in steep cliffs that tower over the landscape. Another mine, in Ethiopia’s Shewa Province, yields the coveted black opal, as well as orange, white and crystal opal. Gems unearthed here range in body colour from white, yellow, orange and brownish red to “chocolate” brown. Travel 340 miles (about 550 kilometres) north of the capital Addis Ababa and up 8,000 feet (2,400 metres) to where miners pry opal from shafts dug into the side of a plateau. In Ethiopia, the October birthstone is found near the village of Wegel Tena, in Wollo Province. Two pieces of boulder opal, which is found only in Queensland. Comprehensive CAD/CAM For Jewellery CertificateĪpplied Jewelry Professional ™ Online Diploma
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