The Government of Oyo State has revealed the Rubellite Tourmaline (Gemstone) is found in Ofiki Oke-Ogun zone of the Southwestern State.
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| The Rubellite Tourmaline (Gemstone) found in Oyo State, Nigeria. Photo: @oyostategovt |
“The beautiful pinkish gemstone is used to produce jewellery and can be found in museum exhibits, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.”, as revealed by the Oyo State Government.
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| Yellow gold ring with diamonds and a custom-faceted rubellite. Photo: liveauctioneers.com and Rago Arts and Auction Centre via International Gem Society |
According to the International Gem Society:
Rubellites are tourmalines with reasonably saturated dark pink to red colors and medium to dark tones. They make excellent jewelry stones, and ruby-red colored specimens without orange or brown overtones are highly prized.
Rubellites have a hardness of 7 to 7.5 and no cleavage, so, whether faceted or cabbed, they make good stones for any type of jewelry.
