What is tourmaline, and where is it used?

In the depths of our planet found a huge amount of both precious and semi-precious stones, the use of which is not limited only to "bryulikami."

However, the question of what is tourmaline, sometimes it arises after visiting all sorts of jewelry stores so that they play a significant role in educational activities.By the way, look at the origins and characteristics of this material in detail.

Description

So, what is tourmaline?This class of annular mineral silicates.More specifically, the group of minerals, since there are also variations almost opposite in their properties.Speaking more technically, it is a substance found in nature in the form of multiple isomorphous series.

At the heart of the lovely tourmaline crystals is silicon oxide crystallizes in the trigonal system.Their color can vary from black to totally transparent varieties.

increasingly resembles the glass surface (due to the characteristic gloss), but much more pleasant to touch him, because it has a kind of "silky" texture.Because of this, the question of what is tourmaline, most replied that it was a piece of jewelry.They are being made from this mineral is extremely pleasing to the skin.

Jewelers especially appreciate the variety of polychrome.So called tourmaline specimens in a single chip that combines several color zones.In addition, its distinctive feature is gemimorfizm when bounding the opposite faces of the crystal quite different.

Application

Value tourmalines that they have a pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties, due to which are widely used in various industries.For this purpose most often used qualitative colorless crystals which are free of defects.

However, it is much more likely to regard cheap products, as opaque tourmaline is much more common in nature, and therefore provides a low cost of the equipment in which it is applied.

piezoelectric properties of the stone due to the fact that its opposite faces can accumulate bipolar charges.This is due to the above-described gemimorfizma (which in other crystalline materials is rare).It is actively used in electronics, and particularly quoted the largest crystals.

Virtually any kind of tourmaline can be used even in complex medical technology.Combined with its small cost it provides a very broad perspective.And doctors have long discovered his potential in the ionization of the air, due to all of the same piezoelectric capability.

way, as his semi-precious properties.As in the case of diamond, the distribution of stones to "fashion" and "technical" largely based on both their transparency and appearance.

Polychrome species is in high demand for jewelry, while perfectly transparent crystals listed techniques.

Now you know exactly what is tourmaline.