Summertime is Ripe for Watermelon Tourmaline

Summer brings luscious seasonal offerings--watermelon is one of them, and it's a perennial favorite with just about everyone. Summertime also signals a time of relaxed living and warm days rich with sweet memories.

A delicious natural gemstone mirrors the colors of ripe watermelon, and guess what it's called? Watermelon tourmaline of course. The gem mineral grows in elongated crystals--a vibrant green color on the exterior of the rough, and pink to reddish-pink coloring inside. Gem cutters take this attractive coloration into consideration, cutting the gem to highlight this feature. When polished, a watermelon tourmaline will have both colors prominently displayed, often with the green 'rind' encircling the pink 'fruit' gem. Yum.

Hillary Swank looks pretty yummy herself in Amrapali watermelon tourmaline and diamond earrings and a Hellmuth croco 18K gold necklace. Image Courtesy: D'Orazio & Associates, Beverly Hills.