Photo © Jeff Scovil / Peter and Nadya Lyckberg Collection
Tourmaline is a name all too familiar within the gem and jewellery community. What is less familiar is the fact that it is not a mineral species but rather a super group of minerals comprising dozens of mineral species, some of which have gem varieties, namely elbaite, fluor-liddicoatite, dravite, Cr-V dravite, tsilaisite, buergerite, uvite and schorl.
Quite recently, in 1998, a new tourmaline species with gem-quality crystals was welcomed in the scientific community: rossmanite.
The name of the mineral is a homage to Prof. George Rossman, an notable American mineralogist from Caltech in Pasadena, California, in recognition for his outstanding work on spectroscopy, namely on the tourmaline-group minerals.
It is a lithium-rich species that occurs from colourless to brown to pink, distinguishable from the other tourmaline species only by advanced analytical techiques (LA-ICP-MS).
It has already been reported in the Czech Republic, Italy, Canada and also Russia, namely in the Orieshnaja pegmatite in Zabaykal’skiy Kray, Transbaikal, from where the illustrated brown-coloured 2 cm high terminated crystal and 4 ct cut stone set in a ring come from, as collected by pegmatite specialist Peter Lyckberg.
Photo © Jeff Scovil / Peter and Nadya Lyckberg Collection
Guest articles by Rui Galopim de Carvalho:
https://gem-spectrum.com/category/rui-galopim-de-carvalho
About the author:
Rui Galopim de Carvalho is a renowned independent Gem Education Consultant, author, luxury industry training expert and popular international lecturer on gemmology and on the history of gem materials. During his 30 year experience as a gemmologist, Rui has studied important collections in both public and private museums, notably the Portuguese Crown Jewels.
Founder of the popular Home Gemmology webinar series launched during the COVID-19 lockdown, Rui has a long history as a gemmology communicator, notably on social media where he is a popular figure.
Rui Galopim de Carvalho can be reached through his website:
