Rubellite

History
Tourmaline has been around for hundreds of years, however the deep pink to red variety, commonly known as rubellite, has been popular for only a few centuries. First mined in Sri Lanka, the name tourmaline comes from the word "turmali" meaning common stone, as tourmalines were abundant. It soon became obvious that the red variety was more sought after than the others.

Features
Rubellite is never completely flawless, but always has inclusions, even if only very small ones. Crystals tend to be long and thin, and roughly circular in shape, often with one flat end. Rubellite may have color banding as well, and color may range from a deep magenta red to a pale pink. Tourmalines in general, tend to look darker when viewed down the length of the crystal, while the best color is shown when viewed at right angles to its length.

Treatments
Tourmalines are seldom treated with either heat or irradiation, as they fall into the "semi-precious" category of gemstones. However, they are softer than quartzes, and should be treated gently.

Principal Deposits
The best rubellite deposits occur in Russia, the US, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Brazil and China.

Rarity
Fine quality rubellite tourmalines of exceptional clarity and color, in sizes large enough to cut, are quite rare.