Types of Tourmaline Gems
August 16th, 2010
The different types of tourmaline are entirely based on the color of this semi precious gem. Tourmaline is often referred to as “the gem of the rainbow” because of the wide variety of colors available. The gem comes with almost every color of the rainbow, from yellow, blue, red, green, brown, pink tourmaline and many more.
The word “tourmaline” originated from the Sinhalese words “tura” and “mali” which is a associated with the differences and mixtures of the gem’s color. And so, the following types of tourmaline gems are listed below.
- Rubellite tourmalines. The shades of color of rubellite are from red to shocking pink tourmalines. Rubellite came from the Latin word “rubellus” which means reddish, and thus this is a family of tourmalines quite associated with the color red. Beautiful red and pink tourmalines are widely after sought by many gemstone connoisseurs because they are seductive and powerful to look at – not to mention, vibrant and dominant too. The more darker and richer the shades of red, the more it is expensive in price. Pink tourmaline necklace, rings, and earrings have become increasingly popular in recent years.
- Green Tourmaline. There are also many spectrums and shades that concern green tourmalines – there are darker shades of green while there are also lighter in color. Those green tourmalines that contain trace amounts of chromium are referred to as chrome tourmalines which is oftentimes associated with the color of emeralds. Bottle-green tourmalines are sometimes called Brazilian tourmalines. The family of green tourmalines are also called as “verdelite” tourmalines – the word “verdelite” is a combination from the Latin word “viridis” which means green and the Greek suffix “lith” which means stone.
- Indicolite and Paraiba tourmalines. The word indicolite and paraiba are associated with blue tourmalines. This extraordinary gemstone of supreme vividness was first recognized in Paraiba, Brazil. While iron, chrome, manganese and vanadium are the essential causes for such beautiful color in tourmalines, paraiba tourmaline is different because it contains copper. This high concentration of copper is responsible for the dazzling radiant blue hues of the gemstone.
- Yellow tourmalines. Yellow tourmalines are multicolored in general, and they are specially recognized for their color changing capabilities. Most of yellow tourmalines are also tinged with brown color. The element magnesium is responsible for its electrifying yellow color. With the desired treatment, the jewelry artisan can make a vibrant yellow tourmaline out of a brown one.
- Multicolored tourmalines. Multicolored tourmalines are special because they cannot be cut and designed with one color only – it has to come out brilliant in a combination of two or more. These are very rare stones. Particularly prominent in this type are what they call “watermelon tourmalines” – tourmalines that are notable for green exterior and white interior color, thus, signifies that of a watermelon.
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