Tourmalines are gems with an incomparable variety of colours. The reason, according to an old Egyptian legend, is that the tourmaline, on its long journey up from the centre of the Earth, passed over a rainbow. In doing so, it assumed all the colours of the rainbow. And that is why it is still referred to as the 'gemstone of the rainbow' today.

The name tourmaline comes from the Singhalese words 'tura mali'. In translation, this means something like 'stone with mixed colours', referring to the colour spectrum of this gemstone, which outdoes that of all other precious stones. There are tourmalines from red to green and from blue to yellow. This gemstone has an endless number of faces, and for that reason it suits all moods. In particular, it is the gemstone of love and of friendship, and is said to render them firm and long-lasting.

Gem and specimen tourmaline is mined chiefly in Brazil and Africa. Almost every color of tourmaline can be found in Brazil, especially in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. In 1989, miners discovered a unique and brightly colored variety of tourmaline in the state of Paraiba. The new type of tourmaline, which soon became known as paraiba tourmaline, came in unusually vivid blues and greens.