Rubellite - Tourmaline Rouge

Taking its name from the Latin rubellus, meaning reddish, rubellite was rare in the ancient world. Its unique properties set it apart from other hard, red gemstones, generically known then as ruby or carbuncle. That distinction was lost during the Dark Ages but revived in the Enlightenment, as science undertook its quest to understand the nature of things. For two and a half centuries, rubellite has had a part of that great unraveling.