• 1.15ct golden yellow round Tourmaline
• Measures 6.98-6.89 x 4.31mm
• Purchased from Mariam in Tanzania
• Cut by artisanal cutters in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tourmalines have one of the widest color ranges of any gem and are also known for containing two or more juicy colors in one stone. Its name comes from the Sinhalese word “toramalli” meaning “mixed gems.” Tourmaline rough is often long and skinny, so it lends itself well to being faceted in elongated shapes like rectangles.

Tourmaline is a birthstone for the month of October.

Gems from the heart

Moyo means 'heart' in Kiswahili. Our new project expands our Moyo Gems cutting from one person in the US, Beth Stier, to a group of five independent artisanal cutters in Chiang Mai, Thailand. These gems are beautifully precision cut by Gao and Khal (husband + wife) along with Lek, Yod, and Albert. Gao does all the dopping and polishing and Albert cuts the majority of the melee-sized gems. This kind of cutting efficiency can allow us to purchase more of the smaller East African rough gems, which brings fully traceable gemstone melee to the market AND provides a valuable outlet for the gem miners in East Africa: win/win!

A Moyo gem gives back a higher percentage of the sale than an ANZA gem, and this amount is re-invested into the Moyo Gems program to help run market days and support local community needs.

SKU #M5155