Pink tourmaline stone - physical, chemical, magical properties

Favorite of Emperors

Since ancient times, rubellite has enjoyed special love among those in power. It started with the famous Caesar Ruby. Later, pink and scarlet crystals adorned the crowns of Empresses Catherine I, Anna Ioannovna, and Russian Tsars Ivan Alekseevich and Mikhail Romanov.

The church tried to keep up. You can see the monstrance in the Kremlin Armory. It is decorated with pink rubellite weighing 645 carats.

The Legend of Caesar's Ruby

A legend because there is no official confirmation, but the history of the stone is beautiful and worth knowing.

The most famous rubellite in history is... ruby. Not just any ruby, but a Caesar Ruby. It has a long, often confusing, not always documented history.

It is traditionally believed that the huge (weighing more than 250 carats) gem was presented by Cleopatra (Queen of Egypt) to Caesar, her lover. True, there love affairs are mixed up with economics and politics, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Why ruby ​​- the name rubellite arose much later. In those ancient times, red crystals were called rubies; they did not fool themselves with gemology.

Years passed, and on the ruins of the Western Roman Empire, the Frankish Empire arose, led by Charlemagne. It was he who inherited Caesar's Ruby, which was inherited by his son Louis the Pious, and was further passed on through the royal family.

Nobody probably knows how the gem got to the Templars. Maybe the king gave it as a gift, or maybe he paid it for debts... The Templars were the richest knightly and monastic order, and often lent money to kings (as a rule, they were always in need of money).

King Philip the Fair decided that everything was better than a little and on credit. Therefore, the Templars, led by the Supreme Master, burned some alive, some were carved on the wheel, some were mercifully beheaded (they weren’t even tortured).

The treasures of the Templars went to the royal treasury. And again there is a gap in the history of stone.

How the stone got to the Jesuits, instead of remaining in the royal treasury, is unclear.

The legend ends with the fact that the Jesuits gave the gem to Charles IX after the Night of St. Bartholomew. This is where the story begins. It is confirmed by documents, there is no doubt about it.

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The history of the most famous rubellite

After the death of Charles IX, the gem had to travel. The gem passed from hand to hand, from country to country.

List of stone owners:

1. Elizabeth of Austria, widow of Charles IX.
2. Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, brother of Elizabeth, a famous alchemist in his time.
3. In 1648, the Swedes, who were at war with Bohemia at that time, captured Caesar's Ruby. Of course, the magnificent trophy was presented to the Queen of Sweden.
4. Christina, Queen of Sweden; when she died, the stone was taken to Stockholm.
5. And finally, Gustav III, King of Sweden, gives the stone to Catherine II.

It is clear that such gifts are not given “for nothing”. Gustav wanted political rapprochement with Russia, and was glad to marry some niece of Catherine (no matter which one, as long as it was from the imperial family).

The marriage plans did not come true, but the gem was given as a gift - there is no way to return it back.

Now the stone is stored in the Diamond Fund of Russia.

Fersman said - rubellite

Ruby, spinel - the stone was called differently. Until Academician Fersman, having examined the gem, declared authoritatively that it was rubellite. The stone was mined (according to the academician) in Burma and processed by Indian jewelers.

The story of “almost a ruby”

It is believed that pink tourmaline has been known almost since the Stone Age. It has been established that the gem from watermelon tourmaline was obtained by Alexander the Great during his campaign to the East. Cleopatra owned the magnificent gem. Chinese court dignitaries decorated their outfits with rubellite plates.

European medieval rulers did not appreciate the precious stone, unlike the Russians. True, the latter considered the gem a ruby. The most famous examples are a bunch of grapes given by the King of Sweden to Catherine II, a pink spinel from the crown of Anna Ioannovna, and gems on the crowns of the Romanov dynasty.

The best examples of rubellite are outwardly indistinguishable from rubies - the stones of the first row. As Professor Bauer, the author of a fundamental work on mineralogy, noted, even for an expert it is visually difficult to distinguish them.

Errors and oddities occurred until the 20th century, when the latest research brought clarity. Tourmalines, including pink ones, are endowed with strong pleochroism, that is, they split the ray passing through them into two colors. Ruby gives a pure red glow.

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Physics and chemistry of the tourmaline family

Rubellite is a type of tourmaline.

The chemical formula of the mineral is Na(Li,Al)3Al6[(OH)4.

A little about tourmaline - an interesting and very attractive stone both from the point of view of jewelry lovers and from the point of view of serious husbands. It's about his amazing qualities. Judge for yourself.

Tourmalines have:

1. Pleochroism (one of the most distinct among gems).
2. Luminescence (not all, brown, blue, green and pink do not have it).
3. Dispersion (splitting a beam of light in the body of a stone). We value many gems for their dispersion, and the champion in this is diamond.
4. The colors of tourmaline are also amazing. Polychrome (two-color) is a rarity among gems. Pink-green crystals are found in South Africa and Brazil.
5. Polarization of light.
6. Pyro- and piezoelectric properties.

So these crystals are important not only for jewelry lovers. This bouquet of properties is happily used in various industries.

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This is such an amazing mineral. Tourmaline can be an ornamental stone or a precious one. It all depends on the color and transparency of the crystal.

Varieties of tourmalines

There are several of them, but gemologists consider the main ones:

• elbaite;
• schorl;
• drags;
• Liddicoatite.

Rubellite also belongs to the elbaite variety. And besides it, verdelite (“Brazilian emerald”), blue indigolite, colorless achroite.

The characteristics (colors and shades, shine, transparency) of all types of elbaite allow them to be used in jewelry.

Mineral rubellite

Colors. Delightful - pink, pale and bright; red as a windy sunset; dark red to burgundy; crimson, fuchsia, violet... The color of the stone is provided by manganese (the more of it in the stone, the darker and more saturated the gem).

Hardness 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale. It’s quite suitable for cutting, but... Inclusions are often found in rubellites, but here you can’t get the cut you want.

Ring with rubellite

Rubellites with inclusions are usually cut into cabochons. There is nothing wrong with this, and the cabochon will perfectly reveal and show the richness of the color of the stone.

If the color is combined with the transparency of the crystal, then it has no price. I mean, not everyone can afford it.

How to distinguish a fake?

Tourmalines are often counterfeited by making imitations from glass or less valuable minerals. There is a technique of “ennobling” - high-temperature treatment, during which the stone changes color. Thus, pink tourmaline can be obtained from less valuable red-brown.

If the price tag says “refined,” the price of the stone should be lower. If it says “natural rubellite”, then if it is annealed it is a fake.

It is impossible to independently check whether the stone was annealed or not. This is done only in a gemological laboratory. But you can distinguish it from glass or other mineral. Heat the stone with a lighter and hold it near small pieces of paper or sawdust - if the stone is real, they will move. This occurs due to the phenomenon of pyroelectrification.

Magic mirror of love

The magical properties of rubellite, like many red stones, will help you find and keep love. Give jewelry with pink tourmaline to the one you love, and your feelings will be mutual and strong. For lonely people, a ring with rubellite will help them meet a prince on a white horse (or their princess).

• Esotericists advise wearing a ring on the index finger of your left hand.
• The magical properties of the gem will help you survive the loss of love, not withdraw into yourself, and not close yourself off from the world. The stone will help in finding new love, new happiness.
• For married couples, rings with red rubellite will become guardians, good spirits of the union of loving people.
• It is recommended to wear raspberry schorl crystals set in precious metals.
• The magic of talismans and rubellite jewelry has an interesting property. According to esotericists, the gem receives the emotions emitted by the owner and reflects them in a multiplied amount. Everything is simple here - you like the world around you, you love it, admire it - the stone will return this love to you even brighter, lighter, stronger.
• For an aggressive, angry, jealous owner of a piece of jewelry with a “mirror stone,” all his negative emotions will immediately return, multiplied and intensified.
• Therefore, do not wear jewelry in moments (we all have them) when you do not love this world and those around you.

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Where is the stone mined?

There are stone deposits all over the world. Stones mined in Brazil are considered especially valuable. Such tourmalines amaze not only with their beauty, but also with their size. There is information that the length of the largest crystal mined in Brazil reached 40 cm. High quality specimens are very popular among jewelers around the world. The price for 1 carat starts from $20 and can reach up to $500.

Exquisite pink tourmalines are mined in Sri Lanka and the USA. On the island of Elba, minerals are mined that are more often called not pink tourmalines, but elbaites in honor of the island. In Russia, such stones are mined in Transbaikalia. They can be found in the Malkhan deposit, and they are also found on the Kola Peninsula.

Treatment with rubellite

Lithotherapists recommend supplementing official medicine with mineral treatment. Undoubtedly, in many respects they are right. Let's find out how raspberry scorl can help.

Its medicinal properties will benefit patients who have problems with:

1. Digestive tract, stomach.
2. Thyroid gland.
3. Heart rhythm disturbances (tachycardia, bradycardia, extrasystole). The stone does not speed up or slow down the heart rate, but normalizes it.
4. Normalizes hormonal balance in the body.
5. Increases immunity.
6. Strengthens the nervous system.

It’s just not a mineral, but a pharmacy in one pink stone.

The same lithotherapists claim that jewelry with pink tourmaline rejuvenates the skin. This property means a lot to women.

For men, rubellite stone can also offer something pleasant. For example, it is recommended for men “strongly after 20.” Until the age of 20, the motto “always ready” and sex are first on the list of priorities.

The piezoelectric properties of the crystals prompted manufacturers to ionize the air using tourmalines. Now you can buy hair dryers, combs, and brushes coated with tourmaline. Health mattresses, air ionization devices - everything is at the service of customers.

Therapeutic properties

Lithotherapists claim that the healing effect of a mineral directly depends on its color. If we consider pink tourmaline, its area of ​​“responsibility” includes:

• heart;
• the cardiovascular system;
• part of the intestine;
• thoracic, sacral, coccygeal sections of the spine.

Rings, earrings, bracelets or other jewelry with such tourmaline should definitely be worn by people diagnosed with heart and vascular diseases. Its energy will have a beneficial effect on your general condition. Such accessories are a good gift for a person who has had a heart attack. The thing is not only beautiful, but also good for health.

• Rubellite saturates the blood with oxygen, improves metabolic processes in the body, and stimulates thought processes. The energy of the stone is suitable for people with musculoskeletal problems. To relieve pain caused by spinal hernias, lithotherapists recommend sewing small tourmalines into a mattress or corset. Constant contact with the stone will have a positive effect on a person’s condition.
• Few people know that the stone also has a positive effect on a person’s emotional state. The energy of such a mineral helps to get rid of many complexes, a person becomes more liberated and more confident in himself. He is not afraid to express his thoughts and talk openly about his feelings.
• For women, this stone will give confidence in their abilities and reveal their natural sexuality. At the same time, you need to be wary of such energy, because it can make a woman a nymphomaniac.
• Pink tourmaline favors strong and vibrant natures. He will become an excellent assistant for them in business. Lazy and passive people should be wary of rubellite. Its energy can even lead to depression and mental illness.

Gifts of Venus to rubellite

The patron planet of rubellite is Venus. The goddess of love generously gives her protection to Libra and Taurus. These zodiac signs will get all the support they can from a tourmaline crystal.

For men, cufflinks or a ring with rubellite will help them find the right course in the sea of ​​life and give them inner self-confidence.

For women, jewelry and talismans made from gemstones will help preserve the family hearth, make it cozy, comfortable, and incredibly attractive to the man they love. Rubellite is suitable for Leos and Aries, a little less for Sagittarius. Fire in the nature of these zodiac signs and in the color of rubellite will create a close connection between man and stone.

Physico-chemical characteristics

Rubellite is one of the varieties of tourmalines.
The color of the mineral is associated with the content of manganese impurities in it. In general, by chemical nature, rubellite is a complex compound of sodium, lithium and aluminum. Rubellite crystals have a glassy luster and can be either transparent or matte. The stone is characterized by low specific gravity and high hardness - the treated surface of rubellite cannot be scratched. When heated, the mineral begins to attract paper.