In the Loupe: Tourmaline

Tourmalines have one of the widest colour ranges of any gemstone, occurring in various shades of practically every hue. 

Colour is typically the most important factor in determining the value and variety of a tourmaline. The cut of a tourmaline is another very important factor for a tourmaline, rather than cutting every tourmaline lengthwise, many cutters orient a fashioned gem based on its depth of colour.

Varieties

Many tourmaline colours and varieties have their own names:

• Rubellite - a pink, red, purplish red, orangey red, or brownish red tourmaline.
  
• Indicolite - a dark violetish blue, blue, or greenish blue tourmaline.
• Paraíba (pictured above) - an intense violetish blue, greenish blue, or blue tourmaline from the state of Paraíba, Brazil.
• Chrome tourmaline - an intense green.
• Parti-coloured tourmaline - displaying more than one colour. One of the most common combinations is green and pink, but many others are possible.
• Watermelon tourmaline - has a pink in the centre and green around the outside.

Specifications

Tourmaline have a Mohs hardness rating of 7-7.5, meaning its toughness is considered fair. Tourmalines can be crafted into jewellery pieces that can be worn frequently so long as they are well looked after, cleaned and checked by an expert jeweller often.  

Birthstones and Anniversaries

Tourmaline is the birthstone for October, along with opal, and represents the 8th year wedding anniversary.

View some of our ruby jewellery ring designs. 

Our jewellers can work one-on-one with you to create your own unique bespoke ruby piece.  If you have an idea in mind, then contact us below to speak to one of the team who can take you through our design process and discuss options with you.