Editing Tourmaline (section)

== History ==
Brightly colored [[Ceylon]]ese gem tourmalines were brought to Europe in great quantities by the [[Dutch East India Company]] to satisfy a demand for curiosities and gems. Tourmaline was sometimes called the "Ceylonese Magnet" because it could attract and then repel hot ashes due to its [[Pyroelectricity|pyroelectric]] properties.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gAYmeaiO8SMC&q=ceylonese |first1=Jiri |last1=Erhart |first2=Erwin |last2=Kittinger |first3=Jana |last3=Prívratská |title= Fundamentals of Piezoelectric Sensorics: Mechanical, Dielectric, and Thermodynamical Properties of Piezoelectric Materials |page= 4 |publisher= Springer |year= 2010|isbn = 9783540684275 }}</ref>

Tourmalines were used by chemists in the 19th century to [[Polarization (waves)|polarize]] light by shining rays onto a cut and polished surface of the gem.<ref>{{cite book| last= Draper|first=John William |author-link=John William Draper|title=A Textbook on chemistry| url= https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HKwS7QDh5eMC|year=1861|publisher=Harper and Brothers|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_HKwS7QDh5eMC/page/n107 93]}}</ref>