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Rubellite
"The Red Tourmaline (Rubellite) is occasionally so nearly ruby-red in colour as to necessitate care."
Augusto Castellani (1829-1914), Gems: Notes and Extracts
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Peter the Great (1672-1725) reportedly commissioned many items of 'Ruby' jewellery for the Russian Imperial Court that were later discovered to be Rubellite |
Tourmaline frequently garners the nickname, 'the chameleon gem', not only because of its multitude of colour varieties, but also because of its historic propensity to copycat other, often more valuable gemstones.
In the 16th century, the Portuguese thought they'd found Emerald in the Brazilian gem fields of Minas Gerais (general mines), but 300 years later science caught up with the dupe and 'Brazilian Emerald' was correctly identified as Green Tourmaline. On the other side of the planet, Dutch trading ships arrived in Sri Lankan waters around 1590 and by 1703, Tourmaline were being marketed throughout western and central Europe. This resulted in more cases of mistaken identity with both Ruby and Sapphire, leading some to stake its appeal purely on its ability to look like something else. Even its name reveals some of the historic confusion its many colours have brought.
Tourmaline is derived from the Sinhalese 'turmali', which means 'mixed parcel' or 'stone with mixed colours' and are a group of related minerals whose differences in composition result in a plethora of colours. I've reviewed all the main Tourmaline varieties in Paraíba Tourmaline (click
here), but also included a handy chart on click here.
The opening quote is cautionary, alluding to the historical propensity for Rubellite to be confused with Ruby. This is echoed in Professor Max Bauer's classic 1904 work, 'Precious Stones: A Popular Account of Their Characters, Occurrence and Applications', when he warns, "The colour may be so like that of certain Rubies that is difficult, even for an expert, to discriminate between these two stones on mere inspection". While this helps explain why items of 'Ruby' jewellery reportedly commissioned by Peter the Great (1672-1725) for the Russian Imperial Court were later discovered to be Rubellite, it also begs the questions: Is the comparison really fair? Does Rubellite really look like Ruby? The last thing I want to do is offend the ghosts of Augusto or Max, and while the layperson might initially see some similarities, Rubellite for me has always looked like, um, Rubellite. Why? Rubellite is a commercial name derived from the Latin 'rubellus' (reddish) and the Greek 'lithos' (stone). While Rubellite, like Ruby, is doubly refractive, making Ruby slightly pleochroic (click here for more), Tourmaline is strongly pleochroic or getting more technical, it is the most dichroic (two-coloured) of all gemstones. This means each Tourmaline crystal has two colours (primary and secondary), whose intensity changes when viewed from different angles. Finished Rubellite will typically have the primary pure reds visible in combination with the secondary purples or pinks. Although the more pure the red the higher the value, Rubellite's purplish-reds constitute the vast majority. In my opinion, they are distinctive and define this beautiful gemstone.
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Mozambique 'Shimoyo' Rubellite & Diamond 18K Yellow Gold Ring |
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While the 20th century has seen Tourmaline come into its own, it was also known in classical times. In the 3rd century, Theophrastus (the successor of Aristotle's school of philosophy) called it 'lyngourion', and a Green Tourmaline seal stone sporting the likeness of Alexander the Great dating to the same period is believed to be the oldest known example. Believing it to possess arcane influence, the Romans apparently used Tourmaline in animal-themed carved brooches. Coming into the business while Tourmaline was still riding the wave of popularity following Paraíba's 1989 debut and the discovery of one of the world's most significant Tourmaline deposits in Nigeria (circa 1998), I never really understood why some authors would describe Tourmaline as "confused", "misunderstood" or "historically maligned". For me, it was always an important gem, both aesthetically and commercially, and the first three gems I ever purchased were Tourmalines (a pink and green for friends and a lovely bicolour for my mother).
Today, Rubellite, along with ParaÃba Tourmaline, Chrome Tourmaline and Indicolite, are the rarest and most valuable Tourmalines. Rubellite is a lustrous transparent gemstone that comes in red, strong purplish-red and slight purplish-red. As stated previously, pure reds with virtually no secondary purples are exceptionally scarce and demand a premium. While sometimes attractive, Rubellite with visible brownish mahogany tints will be priced cheaper. As usual, colour preferences in gems are subjective, but you should be aware of the marketplace dynamics. For Rubellite, heed the old Goldilocks' maxim (click here for more); look for a happy medium that is as intense as possible, but not too dark or too light.
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Nigerian 'Oyo' Pink Tourmaline & Diamond 18K Yellow Gold Ring |
In Rubellite, the trace element that lends its delightful purplish-reds is manganese, but this is a double-edged sword. More manganese gives Rubellite a deeper tone and saturation, but also increases the prevalence of inclusions. This is why a clean intensely coloured Rubellite, especially over 4 carats, is a veritable scarcity. Taking this into account, Rubellite, like Emerald, is classed as a Type III gemstone (click here for more), meaning they typically grow with many inclusions in nature. Most Rubellite is going to have eye-visible inclusions, although this can vary a little from locale to locale. Like all Tourmaline, Rubellite can be a challenging gem for the lapidary due to areas of internal tension inside Tourmaline crystals and its inherent pleochroism (dichroism). On the other hand, the two-colours of Rubellite's crystals are less of a concern for the lapidary than with Green Tourmaline and Indicolite because the secondary colour isn't as dark. Expect a variety of shapes and cuts for this gem, such as ovals, pears and rounds, often with extra pavilion facets to scintillate its colourful brilliance. As usual, look for a good shape and overall appearance.
Rubellite & Pink Tourmaline Colours
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Origin is important for Rubellite and with only four modern commercially significant deposits, it's an easy thing to get a handle on. Brazil's first Tourmaline mine, the historic Cruzeiro mine located in São José da Safira in Minas Gerais, was an important deposit in the late 70s and early 80s, but it was Nigeria from 1998 onwards that really turned heads. The renowned Tourmaline deposits, unearthed in farming areas about 40 kilometres from the city of Ibadan in Nigeria's Oyo state near the border with Benin (West Africa), were virtually mined out within two years and today this source is largely depleted. Nigeria is noted for yielding extremely fine Rubellite (as well as other Tourmalines with fashionable saturated colours and remarkable clarities), sometimes in larger sizes than usual. Next were the deposits near the town of Betafo, located in Madagascar's central highlands, which were discovered around 2005. This deposit divides opinion, with some viewing its output as globally insignificant and tainted by too many brownish chocolates, and others praising its more ruby-like specimens. The most recent, albeit short-lived discovery is from Shimoyo (also spelt Chimoio) in Mozambqiue's Manica Province. Only in operation from around January to April 2008, this deposit's Rubellite is characterised by an unusually high 'eye-clean' clarity and a 'classic' colour, with very little secondary brownish tints. It is no surprise that its reported output of only 10 kilogrammes of facet grade crystals, a small amount of which is top quality, was quickly snapped up by big rough buyers.
Incredibly scarce, particularly when eye-clean, Rubellite is one of those rare gemstones whose opulent purplish-reds demand a place in your gemstone entourage. At the end of the day, there is Ruby red and then there's Rubellite red. Almost every jewellery lover has a Ruby, but with only a handful of deposits, owning a fine Rubellite is the true stamp of a clever gem buyer.
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Bi Colour Tourmaline
Mentioned as a gemmological curiosity in early 20th-century texts, by the 70s Bi Colour Tourmaline was coveted as one of the rarest of all bicolour gems. Typically showing either a green and pink split or a brown and green split, combinations of apricot, blue, bluish-green, colourless, green and pink are also possible, sometimes with more than two colours in a single gem. Bi Colour Tourmaline's unique colours are down to environmental changes during formation due to the depletion of the trace elements that lend Tourmaline its plethora of colours. The problem with these disturbances during the gem's formation is that it results in inclusions that are usually eye visible. Eye-clean Bi Colour Tourmalines with the signature pink/green split are rarer than rare, and are priced accordingly. Deliberately cut to accentuate their split personality, bicolour gems traditionally show a fairly even split of colour, but this paradigm is shifting (click here for more). Don't confuse Bi Colour Tourmaline with Watermelon Tourmaline; this gem has a pink interior and green exterior, just like the fruit. Sources for Bi Colour Tourmaline include Afghanistan (Kunar Valley), Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique and Nigeria.
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Pink Tourmaline
One common question is what is the difference between Pink Tourmaline and Rubellite? After recognising that red and pink are technically the same colour, Rubellite is distinguished from Pink Tourmaline by its deeper tone (lightness or darkness of a colour) and greater saturation (strength of a colour). Confused? To help, I've included a nifty colour chart to show you where Pink Tourmaline ends and Rubellite begins. One thing to remember with Pink Tourmaline is that it's usually less included than Rubellite. Classed as a Type II gemstone, Pink Tourmaline typically grows with some minor inclusions in nature which may be eye-visible. Despite this, most Pink Tourmaline is eye-clean and I favour intense medium-toned examples with this clarity. Historically, carved pink and red Tourmalines were a big hit in China. The Dowager Empress was not only enamoured with Jade, she also loved Tourmaline so much that she reportedly purchased almost a tonne of Californian Tourmaline, an important deposit in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Current sources for Pink Tourmaline include Afghanistan, Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique and Nigeria. |
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