Tourmaline color chart: shades, names and which color is finest

By HeyGema™ · Updated

In short

Tourmaline has the widest color range of any common gem family. GIA describes the copper-related color of Paraiba as highly prized, and rubellite as one of the most sought-after and generally available colors. A round 1 carat tourmaline measures about 6.8 mm.

Tourmaline colors

Tourmaline has the widest color range of any common gem family. Elbaite, the main gem species, includes verdelite (green), indicolite (blue) and rubellite (pink to red).

  • Paraiba, greenish blueAn intense greenish blue colored by copper. The word neon is trade wording.
  • Paraiba, violetish blueAlso colored by copper.
  • Rubellite, vividPink to red.
  • Rubellite, brownish redA darker, browner red.
  • IndicoliteDark violetish blue, blue or greenish blue.
  • VerdeliteGreen.
  • PinkA lighter pink.
  • YellowYellow.
  • Dravite brownBrown.

The swatches are illustrations picked to match the color names. Screens and light change how color looks, and a cut stone changes with the light, so judge a stone in person or from a daylight photo.

Which tourmaline color is finest

GIA describes the copper-related color of Paraiba as highly prized, and rubellite as one of the most sought-after and generally available colors. Zoning counts against a stone.

How gemologists describe color

Gemologists describe the color of a stone with hue, tone and saturation, and look at the three together. For colored stones they also look at how evenly the color is spread.

Hue
The color you would name, such as blue, green or red, or a blend such as bluish green.
Tone
How light or dark that color looks, from pale to very dark.
Saturation
How strong or pure the color looks, from dull (grayish or brownish) to vivid.
Evenness
How evenly the color is spread through the stone. Color zoning is uneven color, such as bands or patches you can see.

Colored stones have no single color scale like the D to Z scale for diamonds, so sellers use their own words. Ask for a daylight photo and for the size in mm as well as the carat weight.

What affects tourmaline color

Cause of color
Copper gives Paraiba colors, and copper is not a coloring agent in other tourmaline. Manganese gives pinks and reds, and some pink and yellow elbaites owe their color to natural or lab-made radiation.
Treatments
Heating can rupture fluid inclusions, and the fractures may then be filled with oil or resin. Irradiation can be natural or done in a lab.
Light and angle
Tourmaline is pleochroic: the color changes as the stone is rotated.

Tourmaline color and size

Stones with Paraiba color above 1 carat are uncommon. Carat is weight, not size. A round 1 carat tourmaline measures about 6.8 mm, against 6.5 mm for a diamond of the same weight. This table gives the face-up size of a well-cut tourmaline.

1 ct
Round: 6.8 mm
Oval: 8.4 x 5.8 mm
Cushion: 5.9 x 5.9 mm
2 ct
Round: 8.5 mm
Oval: 10.6 x 7.3 mm
Cushion: 7.4 x 7.4 mm
3 ct
Round: 9.7 mm
Oval: 12.1 x 8.3 mm
Cushion: 8.5 x 8.5 mm
5 ct
Round: 11.6 mm
Oval: 14.3 x 9.9 mm
Cushion: 10.0 x 10.0 mm
10 ct
Round: 14.6 mm
Oval: 18.1 x 12.4 mm
Cushion: 12.6 x 12.6 mm

See the full tourmaline size chart for every shape, or use the carat to mm calculator for any weight.

Tourmaline properties

Hardness (Mohs)
Value: 7 to 7.5
Refractive index
Value: 1.614 to 1.666
Specific gravity
Value: 3.00 to 3.10

Many colors, from pink rubellite to green verdelite. Lighter than diamond, so it faces up bigger.

How to compare tourmaline stones

  • Look at each stone in daylight and under indoor light. Color shifts with the light.
  • Ask for the size in mm as well as the carat weight. A tourmaline of the same weight can differ in size by shape and cut.
  • Ask whether the color is natural or treated, and ask for the answer in writing.
  • For a stone that matters, ask for an independent lab report.

Designing with a colored stone? HeyGema lets you choose the stone shade and renders your design with it.

Questions

Nearly every color. Rubellite is pink to red, indicolite is dark blue, verdelite is green and Paraiba is an intense blue to greenish blue colored by copper.
GIA describes it as an intense violetish blue, greenish blue or blue from Paraiba State, Brazil, colored by copper. The trade also applies the name to copper-bearing stones from other countries, and the Brazil origin needs a lab report.
A well-cut round tourmaline of 1 carat is about 6.8 mm across (0.27 in). The table above gives the size of other shapes and weights.
No. They are illustrations picked to match the color names. Screens differ, and a cut stone changes with the light, so judge a stone in person or from a daylight photo.

More size charts