Tourmaline, Nature's Rainbow

If you know your birthstones, you might recognize the tourmaline as the brilliant pink gemstone of October. But don’t stop there. The tourmaline is actually one of the most visually intense and diversified gemstones around. It’s available in an array of hues, and some tourmalines even contain two distinct colors.

Rubelite tourmalines showcase the gemstone in its most brilliant and sought-after hues, which range from cranberry to bright red. A recent mining discovery in Nigeria may result in a valuable source of high-quality rubelites.

The desert mine of Usakos, Namibia, is the place to find a stunning mint-blue variety of tourmaline. The luxurious and intense shades in the finest of these stones can be attributed to two factors: the presence of the coloring agent chromium, and a characteristic called "open axis." In a tourmaline with "open axis," light splits and travels through the stone at an equivalent rate, causing bright colors to be visible on both axis of the stone.

Leaf-colored tourmalines come in two varieties, the green tourmaline and the rarer and more intensely colored chrome tourmaline, which contains the coloring agent chromium.

Probably the most highly prized member of the tourmaline family is the Paraiba tourmaline, named for the mine in Brazil that is the only known source for fine specimens of this exquisite neon-blue gemstone. The mine has nearly exhausted its supply of this hue. Recent yields produced mostly lower-grade stones that were heavily included and robin’s-egg blue-green (think 1960s Day-Glo appliances)—far from the rare beauty of the finest Paraiba tourmalines.

The tourmaline color palette also includes warm copper and golden yellow shades. A fine example in Leber Jeweler Inc’s collection is a 1.22ct Golden Tourmaline from Voi, Kenya. While very rare—the mine is a small hand-dug pit—and a gorgeous specimen, the price for the stone is under $200 per carat, making it an affordable luxury.

Some tourmalines feature color combinations. For example, the Watermelon Tourmaline is a pink-and-green gemstone that, when cut by a skilled craftsperson, resembles its namesake.

Leber Jeweler Inc is a specialist in colored precious stones such as the tourmaline. Whether you are interested in the traditional birthstone or one of the many rarer shades, we can help you explore the colorful world of tourmalines.