Blue Tourmaline

Blue tourmaline, also called indicolite or indigolite, is a very rare and special kind of tourmaline. The word Indicolite is derived from the Latin word, meaning 'indicum plant'. Indicolite or blue tourmaline is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, the United States (Maine and California), Madagascar, Nigeria and Mozambique.

Tourmaline is not a single mineral, but a group of minerals related in their physical and chemical properties. Tourmaline is a crystalline boron silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious stone and the gemstone comes in a wide variety of colors. Depending of the proportions of the various mineral components, Tourmaline may form as red, pink, yellow, brown, black, green, blue or violet. The name Tourmaline comes from an ancient Sinhalese word turmali, meaning "a mixed color precious stone," or turamali, meaning "something small from the earth". The mineral Elbaite is the member of the Tourmaline group and is the most well-known and valuable form of Tourmaline. Elbaite is perhaps the most multicolored mineral, coming in virtually every color of the spectrum. Most of the multicolored Tourmalines and almost all of the Tourmaline gemstones are of the Elbaite variety.