Tourmaline is a crystalline boron silicate mineral compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is classified as a semi-precious stone and the gemstone comes in a wide variety of colors. According to the Madras Tamil Lexion [3] the name comes from the Sinhalese word `Thoramalli` or `tÃ
Âra- molli`, which is applied to a group of gemstones found in Sri Lanka. According to the Madras Tamil Lexicon, the Tamil `tuvara-malli` and Toramalli are also derived from the Sinhalese root word. This etymology is also given in other standard dictionaries including the Oxford dictionary.
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