What Does Black Tourmaline Mean? Properties, Uses & More

Tourmaline comes in a variety of colors, but none are quite as powerful as black tourmaline. This crystal, called the Protection Stone, can shield you from negative energy and psychic attacks, make you feel grounded and secure, and even boost your self-esteem. In this article, we’ll dive into all the wonderful ways black tourmaline benefits you and how to use and care for it.

Things You Should Know

Spiritually, black tourmaline protects you from negativity and makes you feel grounded, secure, and connected to the earth. It’s called the Protection Stone.
Black tourmaline can also absorb negative thoughts and feelings, boost your confidence, and relieve stress.
Wear black tourmaline jewelry or meditate while holding it for protection from psychic attacks, bad energy, or feelings of doubt and insecurity.

Section 1 of 8:

Black Tourmaline Spiritual Meanings & Properties

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Black tourmaline is known as the Protection Stone. It’s said to protect your spirit and home from negative energy and psychic attacks, leaving you free to explore your spirituality uninterrupted. With negativity blocked, you can align with the energy of the universe around you.^{[1]
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Gives you grounding energy Black tourmaline is thought to make you feel grounded, secure, and connected to the earth. Its energy speaks to your most fundamental needs and makes you feel safe and at peace. It’s associated with the Root Chakra (one of the seven pools of energy inside your body, located at the base of your spine), which keeps you secure and grounded.^{[2]
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- In fact, black tourmaline is so powerful that it can help balance and unblock all of the lower chakras (Root, Sacral, and Solar Plexus).

Section 2 of 8:

Black Tourmaline Emotional Meanings & Properties

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Absorbs negative thoughts and feelings Black tourmaline pulls negativity away from you and your environment and transmutes (transforms for the better) it into neutral or even positive energy instead. This gives you peace of mind and mental and emotional clarity, making it easier to feel balanced and secure.^{[3]
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- Professional spiritualist and seer Jennifer McVey, Cht says that black tourmaline (and by extension, all black stones) “soak everything up….They draw [negative energy] out of you or away from you, thereby protecting you.”^{[4]
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  Jennifer McVey, Cht
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This crystal’s soothing, nurturing energy might reduce obsessive tendencies or thoughts, promote stress relief, and generally make you feel more calm and at ease.^{[5]
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Black tourmaline promotes your self-esteem, helping you feel better about yourself and stop comparing yourself to others. This is because of the crystal’s connection to the Root Chakra, which helps you feel grounded and secure.^{[6]
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Section 3 of 8:

Black Tourmaline Healing Meanings & Properties

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Blocks electromagnetic waves Some black tourmaline users suggest the crystal can block low levels of electromagnetic radiation (also called electromagnetic fields, or EMFs) from technology like cell phones, computers, or TVs, which has a positive effect on your health.^{[7]
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Research source} However, there has been little scientific research on this and more studies are needed to confirm how much truth there is to this.
- That doesn’t mean black tourmaline doesn’t react to electromagnetism at all, though. Tourmaline becomes electrically charged when heated (the pyroelectric effect) and when it’s put under high pressure (the piezoelectric effect).^{[8]
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  Gemological Institute of America
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- Tourmaline is sometimes called “the electric stone” because of these unique properties.
Some healers say that the energy of black tourmaline strengthens your immune system and removes impurities from your body, giving you more baseline energy.^{[9]
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Research source} While this hasn’t been directly proven, one study suggests that the extremely faint infrared radiation from tourmaline and some other natural healing objects may have some very slight benefits for white blood cell formation.^{[10]
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PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

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Relieves pain and boosts energy Black tourmaline is associated with pain relief in the arms, legs, and muscles around the body. It’s also believed to have positive impacts on your spine and circulatory system, although this is yet to be scientifically proven. As a result, black tourmaline is said to increase your stamina, endurance, and overall energy.^{[11]
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- It may also help improve your memory, although this has not been firmly proven either.
- Remember that while crystal healing may be beneficial or soothing, it doesn’t replace qualified medical advice for treating illness or injury.

Section 4 of 8:

How to Use Black Tourmaline

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Wear black tourmaline jewelry or carry it in your pocket or purse. The easiest way to enjoy the benefits of black tourmaline is to simply have it on you! Wear necklaces, earrings, or other black tourmaline jewelry to surround yourself in its protective energy throughout the day. Or, if jewelry’s not your thing, just keep your crystal in your pocket, purse, or backpack throughout the day.
- Carrying or wearing black tourmaline promotes confidence and deflects negativity wherever you go. It’s a great option if you’re never in one place for long.
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Keep black tourmaline in your home or office for protection. If you sense negativity in a particular location, place black tourmaline in the room to set up a protective bubble. You might place a large crystal on your mantle, for example, or place smaller crystals in the corners of your bedroom for a nighttime shield against psychic trespassing.
- Black tourmaline users also recommend keeping the crystal near technology (like next to your work computer) to block EMFs, although the jury’s still out on whether this is effective.
- If you have a crystal grid at home, black tourmaline is a great addition; it can help clear the room (and even other crystals) of unwanted energy.
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Hold black tourmaline while meditating or repeating affirmations. For more active, introspective use, hold black tourmaline or set it next to you as you meditate, journal, or reflect on your thoughts and feelings. Set an intention for what you want to accomplish during your session (like reducing anxiety or grounding yourself) and let the crystal’s nurturing energy balance your psyche.
- Try repeating positive affirmations during your practice for an extra boost. You could say things like:^{[12]
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  - “I will not let negative thoughts hold me back from success and happiness.”
  - “I have the strength to overcome any obstacle in my way.”
  - “I am secure in who I am and nobody can make me feel any different.”

Section 5 of 8:

Cleansing & Storing Black Tourmaline

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Cleanse black tourmaline weekly with water, sunlight, or incense. Even though black tourmaline transmutes negative energy, regular cleansing still helps it protect you the best it can. It’s especially important to cleanse black tourmaline as soon as you first get it to activate and clear it of any preexisting energy. To cleanse:^{[13]
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- Place the crystal under running water for about a minute. A natural running water source, like a river, is preferred (but a faucet will work too).
- Or, set the tourmaline on a windowsill or porch in direct sunlight for at least a few minutes, or up to 2 hours. Leaving it out longer may cause discoloration.
- Light cleansing incense or burn sage, then waft the tourmaline through the smoke to clear away negativity. Open a window if you perform this ritual indoors.
Keep your crystal by itself in a soft pouch made from cotton, linen, or another natural fiber and store it in a drawer, cabinet, or other safe spot where it won’t get knocked to the floor. Natural fabrics carry nurturing, earthy energy—perfect for letting your black tourmaline rest and recharge.

Section 6 of 8:

What do other colors of tourmaline mean?

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Each color of tourmaline has special healing properties and abilities. Black tourmaline is the most common, but tourmaline can also be found in pink, green, yellow, red, and more. In fact, “tourmaline” comes from the old Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) word toramali, meaning “mixed-colored gems.”^{[14]
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- Black: Protection, grounding energy
- Pink: Compassion, gentleness
- Yellow: Creativity, inventiveness
- Green: Rejuvenation, revitalizing energy
- Red: Confidence, sexuality
- Purple: Release of emotional attachments
- Bi- or tri-colored: Self-confidence
- Watermelon (pink and green): Reconciliation

Section 7 of 8:

Cultural Significance & History of Black Tourmaline

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Ancient cultures used tourmaline centuries before Westerners did. The ancient Egyptians believed tourmaline passed through a rainbow on its way to earth because of its many colors.^{[15]
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Research source} In the Americas, Native Americans on the west coast gave tourmalines of various colors as funeral gifts.^{[16]
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Research source} Other ancient cultures viewed black tourmaline as a symbol of protection and used it as a purifying talisman.
- This all goes to show that tourmaline of all colors has been valued for its protective energy and alluring looks all over the world for thousands of years.
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Westerners “discovered” black tourmaline around 1400 AD in Germany. They called it schorl, after the village in Saxony it was found near (today, the village is called Zschorlau). Other colors were discovered in later centuries. In 1552, Spanish conquistadors discovered green tourmaline in Brazil and mistook it for emerald, while Dutch traders found multiple colors of tourmaline in Sri Lanka in the early 1700s.^{[17]
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- It wasn’t until the 19th century that mineralogists discovered that all of these differently colored gems were their own type of mineral.
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The modern commercial history of tourmaline began in 1876. The mineralogist George Kunz sold green tourmaline from Maine to Tiffany and Co., which caused a huge spike in the stone’s popularity. By the 1890s, the Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi liked pink tourmaline so much that China became the world’s biggest tourmaline market. When the Chinese government collapsed in 1912, so did the tourmaline industry.^{[18]
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- Much later in the 1980s and 90s, incredibly vibrant hues of tourmaline were discovered in Brazil, reigniting the world’s appreciation for this beautiful crystal.

Section 8 of 8:

How can you tell if black tourmaline is real?

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Check the stone’s color, cut, and clarity. Black tourmaline will be primarily black or very dark brown, but it may appear slightly yellowish-brown or olive green at one end (the color is not often uniform all the way through). Rectangular cuts are most common and maximize the crystal’s strength (although it can be cut into nearly any shape). Tourmaline typically also has inclusions of aluminum, lithium, and magnesium.^{[19]
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- Professional spiritualist and seer Jennifer McVey, Cht advises to “check with your intuition” when you hold a tourmaline to check if it’s real. “The energy would feel different…It wouldn’t oppose [you], and you’d feel more empathy.”^{[20]
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- If you’re shopping online, research the vendor and look at other customer reviews to determine if the shop (and their crystals) are legit.