Choose Your Tourmaline Gems

Jewelry always associated with gemstones and there are different types and kinds of gemstones across the world. One of the popular gemstones which are known today is tourmaline gemstones. Tourmaline is a crystal boron silicate mineral which is compounded by potassium, iron, lithium, aluminium, sodium, and magnesium. Its name was derived from the Sinhalese word ‘Thuramali’ or ‘Thoramalli’ which is from different gemstones that can be found in Sri Lanka.

Tourmaline gemstones can be categorized as a semi-precious stone and it always comes in an extensive variety of colors which are the major attributes of tourmaline gems. These can be seen in different shades, nuances, and hues. You can see below the most common kind of tourmaline gems which are identified in the gem trade.

  • Rubellite

Rubellite is one of the most unusual and most precious kinds of tourmaline gems and its color ranges from mid to deep red which resembles ruby. During the 17th century, Russian Crown jewels are thought to be rubies but those are actually rubellite tourmalines.

  • Indicolite

Another rare kind of tourmaline is indicolite tourmaline which contains colors from bright blue hues to bluish green colors. This high quality tourmaline gem can serve as collectible.

  • Chrome

This tourmaline has a color of green and believed to be differed from the usual greens because its rich green color is from the trace elements of chromium. Chrome tourmaline can be found in East Africa. Like the other two tourmalines mentioned, chrome tourmaline is also rare and can be usually seen in smaller sizes.

  • Bi-Color

For color zones and bands to be seen in gems, tourmalines are often intentionally accented with the style of cutting. This type of tourmaline can be found in long acicular crystals where there are uncountable color variations.

  • Watermelon

Watermelon tourmalines are bi-color tourmalines which can be seen in green skin with a red core and sometimes cut as slices.

  • Canary

Canary tourmalines are bright yellow tourmaline which can be found in Malawi.

  • Paraiba

This kind of tourmaline gem can be seen in amazing bright neon hues. Paraiba tourmalines are blue-green tourmaline which is rare and contains copper. These can cost thousand dollars per carat and can be found at Paraiba, Brazil in relatively small sizes.

  • Cat’s Eye

This is a chatoyant tourmaline and it can be found in a wide range of colors but often in a rich green.

  • Color-Change

This kind of tourmaline gem changes its color from green when exposed to daylight to red when exposed to incandescent light.

Aside from the mentioned tourmalines above, there are still other varieties of tourmaline that can be sold with a color prefix like pink tourmaline. Also, tourmaline gems have strong pleochroism. This means that you can found a variety of colors or depths of color when you view this stone in different angles. Because of this, it is well-liked by many people who wants intense color but not too dark and not too light. So which tourmaline gem captures your eye?