This phenomenal necklace features rainbow tourmaline beads with freshwater pearls and authentic Bali silver accents. It is finished with an authentic Thai silver pendant and sterling silver lobster clasp.
This necklace measures 16 inches in length.
You can view other Tourmaline jewelry items here, or Thai Silver items here.
Tourmaline's name is derived from the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) word tura mali, meaning "stone of mixed colors." Indeed, tourmaline appears in blue, yellow, pink, red, black, green and clear.
Tourmaline boasts a number of rather amazing physical characteristics. For one, it is piezoelectric; this means heating, rubbing or pressurizing the crystal gives it an electric charge, attracting small objects such as hair or small pieces of paper. Because of this property, tourmaline has been employed in depth-sounding devices and other tools that detect and measure variations in pressure. It also is pleochroic, looking darker from some angles than from others.
Tourmaline has been used as a gem for more than 2,000 years. An ancient Egyptian legend attempts to explain the beautiful array of colors in this gemstone: on the long journey from the middle of the earth up toward the sun, the tourmaline traveled along a rainbow. On the way, it collected all the colors of the rainbow, which is why it came to be known as "the rainbow gemstone." In medieval times, tourmaline was thought to heal physical and mental disorders, and prevent death. Today, many say tourmaline induces a tranquil sleep, and according to legend, it protects the wearer against many dangers and misfortunes.
Maine's official state gemstone, Tourmaline is mined around the world but has important occurrences in Brazil, Sri Lanka and southern Africa. Other sources include Pakistan, Afghanistan, the U.S.A. (Maine and Utah), Mexico and Myanmar.
Thai Karen Hill Tribe silver is created with "high content" silver which guarantees silver purity of up to 98%.
Thai hill tribe silver beads and pendants are handmade by the Karen Hill Tribe in northern Thailand using traditional tribal methods passed down from generation to generation.
By removing the middleman and working with Thai artists directly, our supplier of Thai silver helps both sustain a traditional craft and provide the Karen Hill Tribe people with maximum profitability and a reliable source of income for Karen artisans and their families.