Hardness: 7.50
Refractive Index: 1.62-1.64
Specific Gravity: 3.06
Birthstone:
Astral Stone:
Anniversary Stone:
Origination: South Africa, Brazil, Mozambique, Madagascar and others.
Care & Cleaning: Clean with a soft polishing cloth, plain water rinse, mild solution of soap & water or commercial jewelry cleaner.
Fiction, Facts & Folklore:
This most unusual gem is a bicolor variety of the tourmaline mineral group.
This seldom seen gem is formed when pink and green tourmaline are found residing in the same natural crystal.
Some gem purists insist that a separation of white or yellow must divide the pink and green in order to make the grade.
The pink, white and green colors are supposed to represent the fruit, rind and skin of the watermelon. If there is no white or yellow band that separates the pink fruit from the green skin, the gem is sometimes classified as simply a �bicolor tourmaline�.
This effect is known in the gem world as �color zoning�.
Watermelon tourmaline is usually seen at retail faceted in a rectangular step cut fashion to clearly display its color separation.
Because it is found in so many colors, tourmalines can also be found in a wide array of other bicolor combinations. In fact, a single tourmaline crystal can display a dozen or more colors at once!
Since the green tourmaline is a birthstone for the month of May and the pink tourmaline is a birthstone for the month of October, this stone could hold special significance for some!
For additional information see "tourmaline."