Fused Glass October Birthstones – Tourmaline

Fused Glass October Birthstone Tourmaline
Fused Glass October Birthstone Tourmaline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October has two birthstones Tourmaline and Opal.

I wrote about Opal earlier this month so here is the information regarding Fused Glass October Birthstone Tourmaline.

Tourmaline is also recognized as eighth anniversary gemstone. Tourmaline’s name means multi-colored. Tourmaline is also dichroic (just like some fused glass), meaning it can change color when it is viewed from different angles and in different light. Tourmaline is a chemical combination of primarily silicate, boron and aluminum. The stone’s beautiful colors are mostly comes from its chrome, iron, vanadium and manganese, and in some cases copper components.
Tourmaline is one of the most colorful gemstones on earth. It comes in every color of the rainbow, and even bi and tri-colored, where two or more colors appear together in the same gemstone. The common colors are chrome (green), paraiba (bright neon blue), cat’s eye (striped brown), schorl (black), watermelon (green on the outside and pink on the inside) and dravite (yellows and browns). Siberite is tourmaline of a purple hue. Cat’s eye tourmaline exhibits an effect of “cat’s eye” similar to what is commonly seen in tiger’s eye cabochons. Tourmaline that is green at one end and pink at the other is called as watermelon tourmaline. Liddicoatite is brown, blue or green/pink parti color tourmaline while achroite is the white or colorless tourmaline. No two tourmaline are exactly alike. Heat and irradiation color enhancement of tourmalines is permanent.

Tourmaline was officially registered in 1912 in the American Association of Jewelers. Tourmaline ranks 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale.

It is believed that tourmaline has special properties:
• Be able to strengthen the mind and spirit.
• To heal blood disease, lymph glands, arthritis, heart disease and the nervous system.
• To increase self-confidence, amplify psychic energy and dispel grief and fear.
• Used to promote artistic and creative expression in modern alternative medicine.
• Compassion fostering stone, also bringing composure and enlightenment, to those who wear it.

How to Care for tourmaline
Warm, soapy water is the best method for cleaning tourmaline. The use of ultrasonic and steam cleaners is not recommended.

For the fused glass birthstone version of Octobers’ “tourmaline” I used various shades of frit & dichroic to create a multi-colored stone for one and then two types of dichroic for the 2nd one. Very beautiful the picture does not do either justice. As I mentioned in the newsletter there are many advantages of fused glass over typical gemstones is Fused Glass is less expensive, more durable (than some birthstones), and can be bigger than typical gemstones

Keeping my Kiln Warm

Karen

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