Rubellite Tourmaline

Item Description

The name Tourmaline has been used in the western world since the early 1700s, and according to mindat.org, "The name "tourmali" was a generic name used in Ceylon [Sri Lanka] for colored gems, mostly zircons". Tourmaline might be considered the most colorful gem in the world, since it's not only found in every color of the rainbow, but it's one of the few gems that is found in bi-color and multi-color stones as well. Although, Tourmaline has been known for centuries, it wasn't fully identified until the 1800s. This is because Spanish explorers in the 1500s mistook green Tourmaline found in Brazil for Emerald, and it remained misidentified for a few hundred years. The irony is that black Tourmaline (Schorl) had been well-known in Europe, but it took mineralogists quite a bit of time to realize that the colorful gemmy crystals were part of the same mineral group as the opaque black crystals. This particular gem is a rich pink colored "Pear" cut Rubellite from Brazil with virtually eye-clean clarity, which is significant as Tourmalines are classified as a "Type-3" stone which means that the large majority of gems are included and these inclusions are accepted by collectors and dealers, so eye clean stones are a real treat to find.
This stone is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us only recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.