Judging quality
Included material is normal and expected; look instead for color that stays saturated in candlelight. Strong pleochroism means the cutter's orientation determines the face-up color.
Tourmaline
Rubellite Tourmaline
The deep red to hot magenta end of elbaite tourmaline. True rubellite holds its color under both daylight and lamplight rather than going brown, which is the trade's dividing line from ordinary pink tourmaline.
Care
Heat-sensitive on heavily included stones. No steam or ultrasonic.
History & lore
Nineteenth-century Russian crown jewels contain several famous 'rubies' that later analysis showed to be rubellite.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Rubellite Tourmaline
- What is Rubellite Tourmaline?
- The deep red to hot magenta end of elbaite tourmaline. True rubellite holds its color under both daylight and lamplight rather than going brown, which is the trade's dividing line from ordinary pink tourmaline.
- How hard is Rubellite Tourmaline and what is it made of?
- Rubellite Tourmaline is a Tourmaline-family mineral with the composition Na(Li,Al)3Al6(BO3)3Si6O18(OH)4. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 7-7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in pink-red, magenta, red.
- Where does Rubellite Tourmaline come from?
- Notable localities for Rubellite Tourmaline include Brazil (Minas Gerais), Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria.
- How do you tell good Rubellite Tourmaline from filler?
- Included material is normal and expected; look instead for color that stays saturated in candlelight. Strong pleochroism means the cutter's orientation determines the face-up color.
- How do you care for Rubellite Tourmaline?
- Heat-sensitive on heavily included stones. No steam or ultrasonic.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.