Tourmaline, Labradorite, & Freshwater Pearl Earrings

Tourmaline can be found on every continent on Earth but fine crystal specimens are still considered rare. Tiffany & Co. popularized this stone starting around 1876 when they obtained a Green Tourmaline from Maine. It comes in a wide variety of colors, however, and many specimens contain more than one color. This is a pyroelectic/piezoelectric mineral, meaning it can be electrically charged by heating, cooling, or rubbing. Major known areas with Tourmaline are Brazil, the United States, Africa, Sri Lanka, & Russia. The most sought after colors are intense pink and green.

Named after the Labrador peninsula in Canada where it was originally found, Labradorite’s bright flashes of color are a result of schiller, or labradorescence. In the 1940s a similar material was found in Finland that exhibited the entire color spectrum, this was nicknamed Spectrolite. Larvikite is a silvery gray Labradorite from Scandinavia. Other deposits are found in Australia, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia and the United States. Labradorite is a stone of magic and protection.

Pearls come in many colors, usually depending on mollusk and water that it grew in, and are usually found in oysters. They are built up mother-of-pearl (calcium carbonate) and though the beads used in jewelry are typically small, they are extraordinarily compact which makes it very hard to crush them.