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Varieties of Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a type of gemstone that can be faceted and worn in jewelry. It rates a 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, so it is a durable and lasting gemstone. However, the most fascinating characteristic of tourmaline is that is comes in more colors than any other gemstone. Pink, green, blue, yellow, red and even multi-colored varieties of tourmalines are available in a wide range of hues and color intensities.

Green Tourmaline
- Green is a common color of tourmaline, and comes in a variety of hues. Also called verdelite in the jewelry market, green tourmaline varieties often have color variations depending on the angle of light reflection. Green varieties with chrome are called chrome tourmaline, and elbaite in the gem trade refers to various shades of green tourmaline.
Pink to Red Tourmaline
- Tourmaline also comes in varieties that range from soft pink to bright red. Pale pink is often available in jewelry shops, and is one of the most common shades available. Rubelite tourmaline is bright ruby or cherry red, and has color change properties based on the intensity of natural or artificial light. The quality of this highly sought after gemstone is based on its color change, also called dichroism. It takes on a bright pink appearance in dim light.
Blue Tourmaline
- Also called indicolite tourmaline, blue tourmalines have soft, deep blue hues. Though not as vibrant as most green and red tourmalines, the rich coloration of indicolite tourmaline ranges from light to dark. It is often referred to as sapphire blue tourmaline because its color can resemble that of a sapphire.
Paraiba Tourmaline
- Paraiba tourmaline is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. It is named after its origin of Paraiba, Brazil, where it was first discovered in the 1980s. Paraiba tourmaline is known for its bright, almost neon shades of blue and green. It is also referred to as the blue-green tourmaline.
Yellow Tourmaline
- Yellow tourmaline is also called dravite, and ranges in color from brown to pale yellow. Though this variety of tourmaline is hard to find in gemstone quality, recently mined bright yellow tourmalines, called canary tourmaline, are highly treasured gems.
Bicolor and Multicolor Tourmalines
- Tourmalines with more than one color are referred to as bicolor or multicolor tourmalines. Though multicolor tourmaline of gemstone quality is rare, bicolor varieties are popular in the jewelry trade. Watermelon tourmaline is an example of a bicolor type that is part green and part pink.

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