History and belief
The name tourmaline comes from the Sinhalese toramalli. When the Dutch East India Company shipped tourmaline from Ceylon to Europe, people noticed that warm stones first attracted ash and then pushed it away. It became known as the Ceylon magnet.
In modern crystal tradition black tourmaline is the stone of protection. Many place one by the front door or carry it as a shield against negative energy and for healthy boundaries.
What many people say
Many use black tourmaline as a tangible symbol of their boundaries, at work or in demanding relationships. Holding something that reminds you that you are allowed to say no can make it easier to actually say it.
What the stone really is
Tourmaline is a group of boron-bearing silicates with a hardness of around 7. Schorl is the iron-rich black variety, and it probably makes up 95 per cent or more of all tourmaline in nature. The name schorl comes from a village in Saxony.
Tourmaline is both pyroelectric and piezoelectric. It becomes electrically charged when it is heated or squeezed, which explains the ash magnet. In Norway schorl is the most common tourmaline, with large crystals in pegmatite veins between Snarum, Bamble, Kragerø and Arendal.
Research has not found that crystals work beyond the placebo effect. Read about crystals and research