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Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a family of boron silicate minerals, most gem material being elbaite, that occurs in more colours than any other gem species, from red rubellite and blue indicolite to chrome green, bi-colour and watermelon crystals. Colour, saturation and the absence of a dark or closed look along the crystal's length matter most, and treatment by heating or irradiation must be disclosed. Byrex Gems offers loose tourmaline to the jewellery trade from Toronto, filmed unedited, with prices for approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Where to buy tourmaline in Toronto

Byrex Gems lists 13 tourmaline online today. 2 of them come with a report from laboratories including GIA. Viewings are at our Toronto office, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, steps from Queen subway station, by appointment. We have supplied coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds to jewellers and designers since 1988, and welcome private clients by appointment. Prices are shown to approved trade accounts; private clients can ask us on WhatsApp, where we reply within 12 hours, or by email within 24 hours. Every stone ships insured, worldwide.

Among the tourmaline listed today: 6.81 ct Emerald Cut Green Tourmaline, 7.64 ct Oval Pink Tourmaline, 6.47 ct Oval Green Tourmaline, GIA, 6.15 ct Emerald Cut Bi-Color Tourmaline, 5.61 ct Square Cushion Blue Green Tourmaline, 4.41 ct Emerald Cut Bi-Color Tourmaline Pair, 3.91 ct Emerald Cut Bi-Color Tourmaline, 3.77 ct Blue Green Tourmaline, 3.65 ct Emerald Cut Bi-Color Tourmaline, 2.59 ct Emerald Cut Bi-Color Tourmaline, 1.16 ct Round Chrome Tourmaline, GIA, 6.02 ct Emerald Cut Bi-Color Tourmaline and 1 more.

What is tourmaline and where is it mined?

Tourmaline is not one mineral but a group of related boron silicates with a complex and variable chemistry. Almost all gem tourmaline is elbaite, a lithium-bearing member of the group, and its colours come from traces of manganese, iron, chromium, vanadium and copper. Manganese gives pink and red; iron gives blue, green and black; chromium and vanadium give the vivid green of chrome tourmaline; copper gives the neon blues and greens of the Paraíba type.

The trade names describe colour. Rubellite is red to purplish red or strong pink that holds its colour in incandescent light. Indicolite is blue to greenish blue. Chrome tourmaline is the intense green coloured by chromium and vanadium, mostly from East Africa. Bi-colour and tri-colour crystals show two or three colours along their length; watermelon tourmaline has a pink core and a green rind and is often cut as a slice.

Brazil, above all Minas Gerais, is the historic and still the largest source of fine tourmaline. Mozambique and Nigeria supply large volumes, including copper-bearing material. Afghanistan's Nuristan province and neighbouring Pakistan produce clean greens, pinks and indicolite. Namibia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the United States add to the supply.

How laboratories describe and grade tourmaline

A report identifies the stone as natural tourmaline, often with the species, usually elbaite, and may give a variety or trade name such as rubellite or indicolite in the laboratory's own usage. Colour is described in words, not graded on a numbered scale. For copper-bearing material, laboratories test the chemistry and apply the trade name Paraíba under the harmonised definition agreed by the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee, which allows the name for copper-bearing tourmaline of the right colour regardless of origin, with origin stated separately.

Two treatments are common and both must be disclosed. Heating lightens dark green and blue tourmaline, removes the purplish tint from some copper-bearing stones and improves certain pinks; it leaves few traces, so laboratories often state that heating is common for the type and may not be detectable, or report indications of heating where inclusions show it. Irradiation deepens pink and red and is likewise difficult to detect; reports note it where evidence exists.

Origin opinions for tourmaline are offered mainly for copper-bearing stones, where the separation of Brazilian from Mozambican and Nigerian material by trace-element chemistry affects value. For other tourmalines, origin is less often requested and is stated, where given, as an opinion that may be inconclusive.

What to check before buying a tourmaline

Tourmaline is strongly pleochroic: the colour seen down the length of the crystal is darker, and in many greens and blues it is nearly black, a direction cutters describe as closed. A well-cut stone is oriented so that the lighter, livelier colour is seen viewed from the top, which usually means a long rectangle or oval with the table parallel to the crystal's length.

Judge rubellite under incandescent light as well as daylight, since the name implies the red holds up in both; a pink that turns brownish or dull at night is pink tourmaline, not rubellite. Check indicolite and green stones for the greyish or inky tone that comes with too much iron.

Clarity expectations depend on colour. Greens, blues and bi-colours are usually clean; rubellite and some pinks are often included with needles and fluid tubes, and a lightly included rubellite of fine colour is accepted in the trade. Sizes are generous in most colours, which makes tourmaline practical for layouts, calibrated work and large centre stones. Pairs match well when cut from the same crystal; Byrex describes two stones as a pair only when the parcel paper or report says so, otherwise as a close match.

What drives the value of a tourmaline

Colour drives value, and within the family the order is well established. Copper-bearing Paraíba type stones sit far above the rest. Among the others, fine rubellite with a pure, saturated red that holds in incandescent light leads, followed by vivid chrome tourmaline and clean, saturated indicolite. Strong, lively greens and pinks come next; the common dark greens and brownish stones sit at the base. Within each colour, saturation and a tone that is neither inky nor washed out decide the price.

Cut orientation matters more for tourmaline than for most gems, because the closed direction can ruin a stone's appearance. A stone cut to show the open colour, with an outline that returns light evenly, is worth considerably more than the same rough cut for weight.

Size adds value at a gentler slope than in ruby or spinel, since large clean tourmaline exists, but exceptional colour in large sizes is still rare and priced accordingly. Treatment lowers value where it is detected or assumed, and an untreated report adds a premium for rubellite and copper-bearing stones in particular. Origin adds a premium for Brazilian copper-bearing material and, to a lesser degree, for fine Brazilian rubellite and Afghan indicolite.

History, supply and the stones that resemble tourmaline

Tourmaline reached Europe from Sri Lanka in the eighteenth century, when Dutch traders brought it under the Sinhalese name turmali. In the United States, the discovery of pink and green tourmaline in Maine in the 1820s and the California deposits of the late nineteenth century created a market that was famously supplied to the court of the Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi, whose taste for pink tourmaline sustained the San Diego County mines until 1912.

Brazil has dominated supply since the twentieth century, and the discovery of copper-bearing tourmaline in Paraíba state in the late 1980s transformed the top of the market. Mozambique and Nigeria followed with copper-bearing material in the 2000s, and Nuristan in Afghanistan became a steady source of clean indicolite and greens. Supply across the family remains healthy at commercial grades, with fine rubellite, chrome and copper-bearing stones the scarce categories.

Tourmaline is seldom imitated in its ordinary colours, but confusion runs in the other direction: green tourmaline has passed for emerald and tsavorite, rubellite for ruby and spinel, and indicolite for sapphire. A laboratory report settles identity, and in the copper-bearing category it is the only reliable basis for the Paraíba name.

Buying tourmaline from Byrex Gems

Byrex Gems has been in Toronto since 1988, and more than seven thousand trade customers in Canada and abroad have bought from us. Many of our tourmalines come with reports from GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, GIA and other leading laboratories; all of them are filmed in our office, unedited and unfiltered.

Approved trade buyers see prices online. Others may write at any hour: WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 is answered within hours and email to info@byrex.com the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more tourmalines in colours not shown here are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. Private viewings are arranged by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Tourmaline: questions buyers ask

Where can I buy tourmaline in Toronto?

What is the difference between rubellite and pink tourmaline?

Rubellite is the trade name for red to purplish red or strongly pink tourmaline that keeps its colour under incandescent light. Pink tourmaline that turns brownish or dull at night is not rubellite. Laboratories use the term in their own wording when the colour meets their criteria.

Is tourmaline heated or treated?

Often. Heating lightens dark greens and blues and improves some pinks and copper-bearing stones; irradiation deepens pinks and reds. Both leave few traces, so reports may note that heating is common for the type or report indications where found. All treatment must be disclosed.

Why does my tourmaline look dark from the end?

Tourmaline is strongly pleochroic and the colour seen down the length of the crystal is much darker, sometimes nearly black. A good cutter orients the stone so the lighter colour shows from the top, usually as a long rectangle or oval.

What is chrome tourmaline and where is it mined?

Chrome tourmaline is a vivid green tourmaline coloured by chromium and vanadium rather than iron, mined mainly in Tanzania and Kenya. It is usually found in small sizes and is valued for a saturated green that stays bright under incandescent light.

Which reports does Byrex supply with tourmaline?

GIA, Gübelin, SSEF, GRS, Lotus or AGL depending on the stone. Reports identify natural tourmaline, comment on treatment and, for copper-bearing stones, test the chemistry and may state an origin opinion. Smaller commercial stones are often sold without individual reports.

Does Byrex supply tourmaline in calibrated sizes or layouts?

Yes. Tourmaline's availability in large clean crystals makes it well suited to calibrated sizes, pairs cut from one crystal and layouts for necklaces and bracelets. Byrex supplies from its own stock and sources parcels through its offices and partners to a brief.

Does Byrex sell tourmaline to private clients?

Byrex sells to the jewellery trade and receives private clients by appointment at its Toronto office. Prices are shown only to approved trade buyers who sign in. Private clients can view stones and have a piece made through their jeweller or through Byrex.

Can I see tourmaline in person in Toronto?

Yes, by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Byrex shows each stone under daylight-equivalent and incandescent light, and end-on so you can judge the cutter's orientation, with any laboratory report beside it.

Byrex Gems, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds for the trade since 1988, and for private clients by appointment.

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