Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a boron silicate mineral that occurs in an unusually wide range of colors — more than almost any other gemstone family. The color variation comes from trace elements: iron produces blue and green, manganese brings pink and red, and combinations create everything between. A single crystal can show multiple colors simultaneously — the watermelon variety, with pink center and green outer zone in the same stone, is one of the most distinctive natural color arrangements in mineralogy. Brazil is the world's most prolific source; Nigeria, Madagascar, Afghanistan, and the USA also produce significant material.

Tourmaline does not commit to one color, which is part of what makes it interesting. Pink, green, bicolor, near-red — the same mineral in different formations. Vertical growth striations run along the crystal's length and catch light differently as the stone moves. For people who resist easy categorization — who contain range and show it. It wears well in any season and pairs naturally with other stones without competing.