Tourmaline

How much is tourmaline worth? The price and value or worth of natural tourmaline can vary greatly depending on the size and quality of the gemstone. Where to buy tourmaline? Buying direct from AJS Gems will eliminate the middleman so you'll get the best value and price to make the finest tourmaline jewelry.

Green Tourmaline	Pink Tourmaline	Blue Tourmaline	Blue/Green Tourmaline
Yellow Tourmaline	Chrome Tourmaline	Bi-Color Tourmaline	Fancy Tourmaline
Paraiba Tourmaline	Rubellite Tourmaline	Cats Eye Tourmaline

Pink Tourmaline.

Technically, these are considered to be of the elbaite species of tourmalines, and they are pink gemstones. They can range in shade from a lighter shade of bubble gum, to a pink that can be quite intense that is nearing fuchsia. So long as pink is the dominate color, it is not generally accepted as being a rubellite. However, when they are borderline between pink tourmaline and what is accepted as rubelitte tourmaline, they can in certain markets command the prices that rubellites obtain.
Many pink tourmalines come from either Brazil or Nigeria. The Nigerian material tends to be a purer pink, while the Brazilian material has more orange in it. If you've heard of peachy-pink tourmalines, those are from Brazil and a rare shade. The Brazilian material isn't necessarily as clean or as large of a size as the Nigerian material.
As for treatments, some stones are heated to improve color and make them more uniform. Some material is irradiated to be a more intense pink. AJS Gems will disclose any known enhancements accurately. There are other sources that may or may not disclose these enhancements.

Rubellite Tourmaline.

This is also known as a red tourmaline. It is called a rubellite as it's what the best rubies wish they could be, and they are "ruby like". Red tourmalines can command premium prices per carat depending on the particulars of the stone. These are sought after collector stones. These are often said to be the second most desirable group of tourmalines after the famed copper bearing/Paraiba tourmalines.
So what makes a rubellite a rubellite? If it's in the range of fuchsia to a fire engine or blood red, it's considered to be a "rubellite". The term rubellite is a marketing name, and the technical term is red tourmaline. It is one of 3 stones officially recognized by the GIA as being type III in clarity. In other words, it's not uncommon to find heavily to moderately included stones. So slightly included specimens are considered to be premium.

Green Tourmaline and Chrome Tourmaline.

These are technically considered to be verdalite tourmalines, and the chrome bearing versions are another specimen.
Green tourmaline can come in various shades. Generally the larger the stone, the darker shade of green it becomes. It's generally a very strong green and very clean material. It's a less expensive alternative to an emerald, and popular in part because of that. When you have some slight blue undertones to it, it can appear to be a lighter or more mint color that starts to appear more like Colombian or better Zambian emeralds.

Blue, Blue Green and Indicolite Tourmaline.

Indicolite as well as blue tourmaline is another highly valued group of tourmalines that have copper as a trace element which is partially responsible for their color. They're not considered to be copper bearing tourmaline. The blue variety tends to be a darker ink blue, clean, and with strong color saturation. There are some specimens in which you might find various shades of blue or green undertones in them. Those are sometimes referred to as mint green or mint blue tourmalines, and they tend to be a little lighter in color and less tone. Those are not quite as common as the greens, and the indicolites are less common. As such, they command a higher value in various markets.

Bi-color and Tri-color Tourmaline.

If these stones were people, a shrink would love them as they have sort of an identity crisis in that they never could figure out what they were as they grew. The terms bi and tri color are technical and generic names for any tourmaline gemstone that has 2 or 3 colors.
However, the most common bi-colors are those that are both pink and green or red and green. One part is an elbaite (pink to red), and the other part is a dravite. You can see a clear distinction between the two as the crystal grew. Due to the red, many reputable vendors will consider them to be type III stones as they can be quite included. However, it's the natural phenomena of 2 specimens being within the same stone that captivates many a collector or jeweler.

White Tourmaline.

The technical term is anchorite tourmaline for this variety. These are colorless tourmalines. Some people will buy these as they like having them for their collection as colorless gem stones. They are amongst the few colorless gemstones along with topaz, danburite, goshenite, and some spodumenes (colorless kunzites in specific), and white sapphire amongst others. They are a far less expensive alternative to a diamond, and some people will consider that as a substitute for a larger diamond though not as brilliant or hard. Regardless, it's still wearable for jewelry and quite a beautiful gemstone.

Yellow Tourmaline.

Yellow tourmaline is considered to be a rare form or tourmaline, and it can range from a canary yellow to a honey gold color pending the specimen. Anything being 1 carat or more is considered to be a collectors size-especially in gem quality material. Why? For one, this is one of those stones that's so rare it's more of an obscurity. So it's not something that you can mass market in any appreciable size. Additionally, you might find a piece of rough of a given carat weight. You'll loose 60% or more of it getting through all the inclusions as this is some seriously included rough.

Orange Tourmaline.

They look spectacular when they're cut right and of any appreciable size. They are known to come from Brazil and they're a lovely shade of orange. These are sometimes referred to as "fancy color" as it is a rare and unusual color of tourmaline.

Black Tourmaline.

This is also referred to as the schorl variety or tourmaline. It is common geologically.
Keep in mind that tourmaline is a difficult stone to cut for a few reasons. It can have a color shift or color change effect to it pending the light and the stone. So when a lapidary cuts it, they try to get the best color possible out of it. The challenge is to nail down that perfect color. Additionally, sometimes the rough can just chip away for no apparent reason and thus render it unworkable. These are not easy stones to cut for those reasons, however a well cut tourmaline is something to admire and treasure.