Tourmaline Jewellery Guide - The Gemstone With More Colours Than Any Other

Tourmaline is one of the most quietly extraordinary stones in our collection - not because it does one thing brilliantly, but because it does almost everything. No other gemstone occurs naturally in such a wide spread of colours, and a single crystal can even shift from one shade to another along its length. Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to see why collectors and jewellers alike treat tourmaline as a stone worth seeking out.

Tourmaline isn’t a single mineral but a group of closely related boron silicate minerals, which is exactly why its colour range is so vast - pinks, greens, blues, yellows, and even colourless stones all fall under the tourmaline name, with colour caused by trace elements like iron, manganese, and titanium locked inside the crystal structure.

Some varieties have earned their own names because of how distinctive they are:

• Rubellite - a rich pink to red tourmaline, sometimes mistaken for ruby at a glance.

• Indicolite - a deep blue to blue-green variety, prized for its saturated colour.

• Watermelon Tourmaline - a single crystal that grows pink at the centre and green at the edges, genuinely resembling a slice of fruit when cut.

• Paraiba Tourmaline - an intensely vivid blue-green variety, among the rarest and most valuable coloured gemstones in the world.

If you’ve been drawn to coloured gemstones but want something with more range than a single-shade stone, tourmaline is worth knowing about specifically because of its versatility:

• No two tourmalines need to look alike. Where sapphire or emerald are prized for a fairly consistent colour, tourmaline can be found in nearly every hue - meaning a piece of tourmaline jewellery can feel genuinely one-of-a-kind.

• It’s reasonably hard-wearing - tourmaline sits at 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, similar to quartz and amethyst, and comfortably suited to rings and bracelets worn often.

• Tourmaline is pleochroic, meaning it can show different colours or intensities depending on the angle it’s viewed from - part of what gives cut stones their liveliness.

• Compared to stones like sapphire or ruby, tourmaline remains relatively affordable for the size and colour saturation you get, which is part of why it’s become a favourite for statement pieces.

Yes, with a little more care than the hardest gemstones. At 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, tourmaline is durable enough for regular wear in rings, bracelets, and earrings, though it sits below sapphire and diamond, so it’s worth avoiding rough contact with harder stones or surfaces. It also has a tendency towards brittleness along certain directions in the crystal, so a sharp knock is more likely to chip tourmaline than a tougher stone like spinel - this is a stone that rewards a bit of everyday mindfulness rather than one you can treat as indestructible.

Tourmaline isn’t high-maintenance, but a few habits will help it stay brilliant for years:

1. Clean with a soft cloth and warm, soapy water, gently working around the setting to lift away everyday dirt and oils.

2. Avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaners, since tourmaline’s occasional brittleness makes it more sensitive to vibration and heat than harder stones.

3. Keep it away from sudden temperature changes, such as moving straight from a hot shower to cold water, which can stress the crystal.

4. Store it separately from harder gemstones like sapphire or diamond, so nothing in your jewellery box has the chance to scratch its surface.

5. Remove tourmaline jewellery before sports, gardening, or heavy manual work, where a knock is more likely.

Tourmaline shares the title of October birthstone with opal, giving anyone born that month a genuine choice between two very different kinds of colour play. Where opal shifts colour across its surface, tourmaline offers an entire spectrum to choose from outright - meaning an October birthstone gift can be tailored to someone’s favourite colour rather than a single fixed shade. It’s this flexibility, paired with genuine rarity in stones like Paraiba tourmaline, that keeps tourmaline in demand well beyond birthstone season.

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Tourmaline pieces are some of the most varied in our weekly drops, from soft pinks to deep greens and blues. Join our newsletter for first access and a permanent subscriber discount.