Aquamarine-Chinese Style

China is a world supplier of light blue Tourmaline. Sterling Canyon enjoys the use of Tourmaline in their jewelry. Seems that the Chinese prefer to blast the gems out of the ground rather than dig them out. Now the Chinese are upset because their brand of Tourmaline is inferior or low grade compared to the minimum world standard of medium grade. A medium grade Tourmaline has a rich light blue tone. Chinese Tourmaline is pale light blue, perhaps similar to their polluted Beijing sky. The blasting of the gems also cracks the gems, creating fissures that can be seen with a magnifying glass. Sorry folks but those occlusions won't do. Look closely before you buy.