The Elbaite Perissodactyla
Psst. Hey. You. Yeah yeah. You. C’mere. Don’t mind me if I grab
you by the collar of yer shirt, pal. Don’t mind me if I nose to
nose you. I wanna ax you a question. You know what an Elbaite
is? Better than that…you know what a Perissodactyla is? No? No
you say? Heh heh. Don’t mind me if I brush the dust offa yer
lapel ol’ buddy. I didn’t know what it meant neither. But I found
out… just like you’re gonna find out…so listen up…an’ lax
up a bit. Cuz here we go.
Let’s start with the Perissodactyla folks…because it’s a
family of animal to which belongs one called Rhinoceros. I don’t
have to tell you how many of these creatures have been killed
because of the sexual powers attributed to its horn. Suffice it
to say… this animal could easily become a totem…considering
what one part of its body is purported to do.
That said…let’s get to the meat of this Tidbit…the Elbaite.
This gemstone derives its name from the Italian island of Elba in
the Mediterranean not too far from Tuscany. Elbaite is the form
of Tourmaline most often used for jewelry. Tourmaline comes in
many hues…from pink to green to red to blue to yellow to
orange to black to colorless. And…it can be bi-colored.
The stone was found in ancient Greece, Rome, and in the Nordic
regions. The use of this gemstone is over 2000 years old. I think
that’s just about as old as that 2000 year old man we used to see
some years ago on T.V. There are also many Tourmaline sites in
America…including such states as Maine, Connecticut, and
California. In the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s the United
States was the world’s major supplier of Tourmaline. Among the
purchasers of our stones was Tz’hsi…the dowager empress of
China.
As far as lore and magical properties attributed to the stone…
I can find only one. It has pyroelectric properties…electric
polarity is produced in the crystal by temperature change. This
is turn gives it a magnetic quality…and the ability to draw to
it dust and even particles of straw.
And so…once upon a time…in a land called Brazil…a
Tourmaline was carved in the form of a Rhinoceros. This was a
bi-colored stone…it gave our little creature a green body and a
pink snout…horn and all. It’s a pretty thing…and it occurs to
me some of you might want to see it. And so…for those of you
who do not yet know…to my home page with the greatest of
speed… down the table menu till you get to Tidbits
Graphics…and click on Rhino.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark
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