Tourmaline VS Amethyst: Which one you Should Pick?

Tourmaline vs amethyst. Two of the most exquisite and beautiful gemstones on the planet. 

Imagine being in a situation wherein you have to make a quick choice between a tourmaline pendant and an amethyst pendant.

Well, could be very hard choice to made since both the Tourmaline Jewelry and amethyst jewelry leaves no stone unturned to add a glamorous touch of beauty and charm to the personality of the wearer.

So to help you make the best choice for yourself, we have got for you a detailed differentiation between tourmaline and amethyst.

Tourmaline vs Amethyst: Which one to Choose between the two?

Tourmaline and Amethyst: A Basic Differentiation

One of the most miraculous gemstones in channelizing the flow of energy of the body to activate the heart chakra, tourmaline (also known as Verdelite) is naturally blessed with astonishing healing properties that could steer a person towards his transformational journey. 

It’s a crystallite silicate mineral that comes from the family of aluminium borosilicate. To increase its durability and strength, it is mixed with iron and magnesium. The proportion is basically influenced by the carat weight and size of the tourmaline jewelry.

Amethyst on the other hand, is one of the most beautiful and unique gemstones in the world that have been captivating the eyes and attention of jewelry lovers for the past 2000 years.

Amethyst can be basically cited as a lilac variety of quartz. Its peculiar name has been derived from the ancient Greek epithet “amethystos”. This Greek phrase gets translated to “not toxicating”.

In the modern century, amethyst occurs in plentiful demand. However, its top-notch quality is one of the major driving forces towards it surging demand in the gemstone jewelry market.

Symbolism and History: Amethyst vs Tourmaline

Ancient documentation of amethyst has been identified throughout the history. It has been associated with many ancient myths, legendary folk tales, religious scriptures and cultures too.  

The most noticeable mention of amethyst can be traced in bible. Various historians have reinforced that Saint Valentine used to adorn himself with a glittering amethyst ring with an image of cupid carved on the stone. Amethyst was also among the 12 gemstones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel (Exodus 28 of the Bible).

The “February Birthstone” is adored to be symbolic of immense power, courage and unwavering strength. 

As far as the history of tourmaline is concerned, there goes out quite an interesting story.

A Spanish conquistador was digging deep in the earth in the hilly region of Brazil during 1500. After stumbling across a colossal piece of stone which he failed to identify, he washed the dirt. He instantly mistook to be an emerald as it was emanating a vibrant and cheerful green hue. 

Later in 1800s, a team of scientist did a thorough investigation upon the stone. Finally, they conclude the stone as a tourmaline which was categorised as a mineral species.

Since then, tourmaline has been extensively used to manufacture shimmering and elegant jewelry ornaments like tourmaline ring, tourmaline bracelet and that alluring pair of tourmaline earrings.

Alike opal, tourmaline is also the “October Birthstone” and is worshipped as a symbolic of wisdom, intellectual intelligence and insights and creativity.

The Difference Between the Properties of Tourmaline and Amethyst

Let’s try to differentiate between two of the most divine gems on the basis of their appearance and properties/characteristics.

Colour

Globally, amethyst is prized for its marvellous and elegant colouration. 

This range across from being lilac to purple and even reddish-purple to bluish-purple. This colour emerges out of the tiny amounts of iron and aluminium that get merged with its crystal structure during its formation. When exposed to heat, the colour of amethyst jewelry, like that amethyst bracelet, amethyst earrings and amethyst necklace can even turn brown, yellow or light green.

However, Amethyst Jewelry appears to be the most stupendous and appealing in strong reddish-purple or pure purple colour with no traces of colour zoning at all.

As far as tourmaline is concerned, the presence of iron and magnesium is its composition allows the gemstone to emanate multiple hues across spectrum. The most hyped ones are ed, pink, yellow, brown, black, green, blue or violet.

Of all, the electrical vivid green to blue shades of tourmaline tends to be the most classy and elegant extensions of tourmaline jewelry.

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Lustre and Hardness

Tourmaline is considered to be a fairly hard gemstone with a level of 7-7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Still, it is vulnerable to suffer breakage or damage if exposed to high temperature and heat.

Its vitreous lustre, which sometimes appear resinous, beautify its overall appearance.

On the other hand, amethyst with its glass lustre complimented with a white streak and a sustainable level of 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness will indeed compel you to flaunt over your beauty.

Clarity Levels

Tourmaline can be classified as “almost transparent, semi-translucent and nearly opaque”. However, highly transparent 

tourmaline jewelry with visible inclusions in its crystal are counted as the most precious ones in the market.

Amethyst, on the other hand, is a transparent variety of quartz. There is also some translucent to opaque amethyst, and the purplish zones alternate with white or greyish areas. Color zonation in transparent, translucent, and opaque varieties can be very intense.

Price Level

If affordability is your driving force, then go for amethyst as it is comparatively budget-friendly than tourmaline.

The average price of amethyst in the market varies within $30-$50/per caret. The highly precious ones can cost you around $100 for every caret.

But to get tourmaline, you have to put aside a minimum of $300-$400 for every carat your jewelry weighs up to.

Wrapping Up

In a nutshell, both tourmaline and amethyst give each other a nerve-wracking competition in terms of beauty and coloration.

Having got a vivid differentiation between both tourmaline and amethyst jewelry, you would now be able to choose the most suitable for yourself.

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