Some claim that tourmaline was first discovered in Spain in the 1500s, while others assert that the Dutch discovered the mineral there in the 1600s. However, because of their striking colours, tourmalines were mistaken for being another mineral. As an illustration, green tourmalines were mistaken for emeralds until they were first inspected by scientists in the 1800s. In a similar vein, rubelite tourmalines were mistaken for rubies, indicolite tourmalines for sapphires, etc. The word “tour mali,” which means “stone of many colours,” is from a Sri Lankan language.

When Mr. George Kuntz, a Tiffany gemologist, discovered tourmalines in California, USA, in the 1890s, they began to play a significant role in jewellery. The American National Jewelry Association