Tourmaline is a group of related mineral species. The word "tourmaline" is derived from “tourmali” (the Sinhalese word).

Colour

Tourmaline is found in more hues and shades of colour as compared to other gems. Tourmaline gems come in all the possible colours, whereas some have more than one colour. Given below are some important varieties:

Rubellite – red

Indicolite – blue

Chrome– intense green coloured

Bi-Colour – stone which displays two or more colours

Watermelon – stone having green skin and a red core

Canary – bright yellow 

Paraíba– intense blue to green

Colour-Change – which changes its colour from green to red in incandescent light

Lighting

Reds, yellow and orange tourmalines look best under incandescent light, whereas green tourmaline stones, blue and violet stones appear prettier under daylight.

Clarity

Different clarities depend upon the different varieties of tourmaline. Almost all the tourmalines found in pink and red show eye-visible inclusions as fractures. Moreover, needle inclusions are also seen.

Prices

The tourmaline stone's price varies tremendously according to the quality and variety of stones. The most expensive tourmaline stones are the Paraíba tourmalines, these stones may reach tens of thousands of dollars per carat. Simply, it is observed that the price of the tourmaline stones varies as per the richness of the stones.

Stone Sizes

When talking about the faceted stones above 2 carats, Paraíba tourmaline stones are extremely rare. Fine quality Paraíba tourmaline stone above 5 carats is considered as the world-class pieces. Indeed, most of these stones are found in less than 1 carat. The high-quality chrome tourmaline stones are rare in sizes above 10 cts.