Tourmaline Colours Explained: A Dealer’s Guide from Rubellite to Paraíba

Ask anyone who has spent a working life sorting gemstones which stone surprises them most, and many will say tourmaline. In a single parcel you can find blush pink, mint green, deep teal and smoky champagne, sometimes all within one crystal. No other gem family covers so much of the spectrum, which is why tourmaline is the stone we are asked about most, and why it shares October’s birthstone with opal.

This guide walks through the main tourmaline colours, what causes them, and what to look for when you choose a stone for your own work.

Why tourmaline comes in so many colours

Tourmaline is not one mineral but a group of closely related boron silicates. Most of the tourmaline used in jewellery is a variety called elbaite, and its chemistry is flexible enough to take up small amounts of many different elements while it grows. Each one leaves its mark on the colour:

• Manganese is behind most pinks and reds.
• Iron gives many of the blues and greens, and in larger amounts the browns and blacks.
• Copper creates the vivid neon blues and greens of Paraíba-type tourmaline.
• Chromium and vanadium produce the intense green of chrome tourmaline.

Because conditions changed as crystals grew, the colour often changes too. That is how bicolour and watermelon tourmalines form: each layer records a different moment in the crystal’s growth.

The colours by name

Pink tourmaline and rubellite

Pink tourmaline ranges from pale candy pink to strong magenta. The name rubellite is used in the trade for the deeper pinks and reds, and most dealers reserve it for stones that keep their rich colour in daylight and in warm indoor light alike. If a stone looks pink by the window and brownish under a lamp, it is usually sold simply as pink tourmaline.

Indicolite

Blue tourmaline is called indicolite. True, clean blues are among the rarer tourmaline colours; most fall somewhere between blue and teal.

Green tourmaline

The most familiar colour, from soft spring green to deep forest tones. Green tourmaline is often cleaner than pink, so eye-clean stones in good sizes are easier to find.

Chrome tourmaline

A vivid, saturated green coloured by chromium and vanadium, originally found in East Africa. It is often compared to emerald in colour, but it is typically far cleaner.

Paraíba tourmaline

Discovered in the Brazilian state of Paraíba in the late 1980s, these copper-bearing stones have an electric blue-to-green glow unlike any other gem. Similar copper-bearing material was later found in Nigeria and Mozambique. Paraíba-type tourmaline is priced above all by the intensity of its colour, and genuine stones are rarely inexpensive.

Yellow, champagne and brown

Yellow tourmaline, sometimes called canary tourmaline, is bright and cheerful. Champagne, cognac and brown tones are softer and very wearable, and they are often excellent value.

Black tourmaline

Opaque black tourmaline, known as schorl, is the most common tourmaline of all. It is used for beads, carvings and bold contemporary pieces.

Watermelon and bicolour

Watermelon tourmaline has a pink core surrounded by a green rim, best seen in slices cut across the crystal. Bicolour and multicolour stones show two or more colours side by side along the length. Every one is unique, which makes them favourites with designers and collectors.

Look at it from more than one angle

Tourmaline shows strong pleochroism, meaning its colour changes depending on the direction you look through the crystal. Viewed down the length of the crystal, many tourmalines appear much darker, sometimes almost black, than when viewed from the side. A skilled cutter orients the stone to show its best colour face-up.

When you buy, look at photos from more than one angle, and if a stone looks darker than you expected, ask us how it appears face-up in daylight.

Clarity: different colours, different expectations

Green and blue tourmalines are often quite clean. Pink and red tourmalines, especially rubellite, usually grow with more inclusions, so an eye-clean rubellite of good size commands a premium. A few inclusions in a pink stone are normal and do not make it a poor buy, especially in cabochons or beads.

Treatments

Some tourmaline is heated to lighten dark greens and blues, and some pinks and reds are irradiated to deepen their colour. Both treatments are generally stable in normal wear. We state a treatment on each listing wherever it is known; if a listing does not mention one, just ask us before you buy.

Wearing and caring for tourmaline

With a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, tourmaline is suitable for rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets. Avoid sudden temperature changes and ultrasonic cleaners, especially for included stones; warm water, mild soap and a soft brush are all it needs.

A small piece of trivia we enjoy: tourmaline is pyroelectric. When it is warmed it develops a slight electric charge and can attract dust, which is why the stones in a sunny shop window sometimes seem to need cleaning more often.

Choosing your tourmaline

Start with colour, because that is what you will see every time you wear it. Then decide how much clarity matters for your design, and choose the cut: faceted for sparkle, cabochon for a soft, glowing surface.

Browse our tourmaline collection, or use Pick your stone to compare individual stones side by side. If you are looking for something specific, get in touch and we will tell you what we have.