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 t