Tourmaline has the widest colour range of any gem — pink, red, green, blue, yellow, black and even two colours in one crystal. That makes it harder to choose than a single-colour stone.
Colour is king Most valuable: rubellite (vivid red-pink), Paraíba (neon blue-green, copper-bearing, the priciest) and indicolite (pure blue). Green (verdelite), yellow and bi-colour stones are more affordable. Look for clean, open tones without grey or brown.
Clarity Green and blue tourmalines are often eye-clean; rubellite and Paraíba more often have inclusions and fissures — normal for those colours, but it affects durability and price.
Cut Tourmaline shows strong pleochroism, so a good cutter orients the best colour face-up. Emerald cut, oval and octagon are popular.
Treatment Heating is common and accepted; irradiation for pink occurs and must be disclosed; fracture filling in rubellite lowers value and must be stated.
Hardness 7–7.5 Mohs — fine for earrings and pendants; for an everyday ring choose a protected setting and a stone without surface-reaching fissures.
We verify every tourmaline in our own gem lab and set it into custom jewelry with a 3D model first.
Frequently asked questions
Which tourmaline is most expensive?+
Paraíba — neon blue-green copper-bearing tourmaline — followed by vivid rubellite and pure blue indicolite.
