More Tourmaline Information
Some Folklore and Characteristics
Tourmaline, a perennial favorite of the gem world has long been one of the most consistently popular gem types available. Although not as glamorous as ruby, sapphire or emerald, in reality the beauty of tourmaline and the value of certain tourmaline types means they can be as every bit as precious.
A bright, clean gem that comes in a kaleidoscopic assortment of colors, tourmaline’s name derives from the Sri-Lankan Sinhalese language word “turmali”, meaning “mixed” - and with the exception of quartz-based gems, tourmaline must be the most diversely colored gem type in the world. Its diversity of color also includes color zonings, whereby concentric or attractive line patterns of two or three different colors within one gem are frequently seen. Other diverse effects that add beauty and value to tourmaline are phenomena such as cat’s eyes and color change.
With the depth and diversity of colors and effects seen in the tourmaline family, novices to the arcane world of gems can find the species as a whole comparatively hard to understand compared to less diverse gem types. Beauty, color, rarity, size, optical effects, patterns, market demands and more must all be accounted for.
Color is the most important factor in determining a tourmaline’s value. As mentioned above, tourmaline occurs in every color of the rainbow, and within these, multiple combinations of colors also occur in single gems. Many tourmalines have been given specific names that are used when discussing the gem. Sometimes these named varieties are treated as a gem type within their own right. Briefly, the most commonly attributed names to the different tourmaline colors are:
| Rubellite tourmaline |
Red tourmaline |
| Verdite tourmaline |
Green tourmaline |
| Indicolite tourmaline |
Blue tourmaline |
| Dravite tourmaline |
Brown and Cognac tourmaline |
| Achroite tourmaline |
Colorless tourmaline |
| Schorl tourmaline | Black tourmaline |
| Paraiba tourmaline |
Bright neon blue-green tourmaline from Paraiba, Brazil |
| Watermelon tourmaline |
Red or pink tourmaline surrounded by a green rind that resembles the cross section of a watermelon |
| Chrome tourmaline | Bright green tourmaline colored by chromium |
| Paraiba Tourmaline |
A rare variety of neon blue-green tourmaline, Paraiba tourmaline can occur in truly astonishingly bright neon hues and can command prices as high as many thousands of dollars per carat! A copper content tourmaline found in a single area in Paraiba, Brazil, it is generally found in comparatively small sizes for tourmaline. Recent finds of copper content tourmaline in Nigeria have also produced identical looking bright neon tourmaline. |
| Rubellite | Ranging in color from hot pinks to the deep reds reminiscent of ruby, rubellite frequently exhibits more beauty and sparkle than its far more expensive look-a-like. Many gems in the Russian Crown jewels made in the 17th Century, originally thought to be “rubies”, are in reality rubellite tourmalines. They make excellent alternatives to rubies and offer superb value for money by comparison. The most popular and in demand type of tourmaline, rubellite is often found in large crystal sizes that can easily reach up to 50 Carats in good qualities. After Paraiba tourmaline, rubellite is considered the most expensive variety of tourmaline. |
| Pink Tourmaline | Perennially a favorite, pink tourmaline ambiguously shares a color border with rubellite and many specimens are so close to this boundary that they are priced at a premium. For those tourmalines that remain firmly within the color realms of pink, consumers are offered a color range from very good value pastel pink shades to the slightly more expensive but vivacious colors that approach the hot pink and rubellite color shades. |
| Indicolite | Like all varieties of tourmaline, the blue variety known as indicolite, offers gem and jewelry connoisseurs large bright gems at good value. Ranging from bright blue hues to bluish green colors, indicolite tourmaline is slightly rarer than some of its differently colored brothers and sisters, and high quality specimens are regarded as quite collectable. |