Tourmaline is one of the most popular minerals to collect!  But its not actually a mineral! Tourmaline is a group of minerals. 

This is a common misconception in the collecting world. 

You will hear locality terms thrown around like “98 Sapo” or “Paraiba”… And you might hear trade names like “roselite”, “indicolite”, and “watermelon”. 

Tourmaline is one of the most popular collector minerals because if its brilliant variety of colors, and the broad range of places from which it is mined - but just as diverse as the types of tourmaline are the ways it is referred to. So what gives? How can a collector know what they are getting? I'll try to unpack some of the varied “tourminology” in this article!

Lets start with the official concept behind tourmaline. First and foremost - I'll say it again - Tourmaline is NOT A MINERAL. Tourmaline is a GROUP of Minerals.

So if someone offers you a  tourmaline, well it's like saying here's an omelette -  but really - do you prefer a Denver omelette; a French omelette; a Spanish omelette? WOuld you go in to a pizza place and tell them “I'd LIke a pizza” - no. You will order a pepperoni, a Hawaiian, or a combo. 

As different as these styles are, so are the different minerals in the Tourmaline group. What makes Tourmaline so unique - like many minerals that are also considered precious gems, - if you are talking to a Minerologist or Geologist - they will only know varieties by the names of the scientific mineral types. Whereas, if you are talking to an Gemologist, they will usually know the “Gem type” of tourmaline. Same mineral - different names.

So we will start with the true mineral type names of Tourmaline. A mineral type or species is a scientific term that carefully distinguishes one type from another based on the relative concentration or repeating unit of atomic elements present in that mineral. We present this first, because ultimately, Tourmaline is one of these, first and foremost. Any other way of referring to this mineral is not scientifically provable. But these different types could be analyzed and set apart from one another through scientific testing of their elemental composition, or in other words, by the orderly, repeating arrangement of their atomic structure: To understand the elemental makeup of a mineral may involve the use of a sophisticated machine or mechanism.

The most common Mineral types of Tourmaline are:

The less common, but still valid mineral types of Tourmaline include rarer types like:

So this shows that Tourmaline (the group) - has a broad range of possible mineral types, from the very common to the exceedingly rare. In fact, just as there are many types, there are also some types that are basically impossible to tell apart without expensive, sophisticated equipment such as powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis machines. 

Making it even more confusing - there are also a completely different set of trade names used for Tourmaline that are exclusive to the gem trade. As a geologist, one might eschew this “unscientific”way of defining Tourmaline - but as a collector, you have to understand the importance of these gem types and grades, because they have a huge impact on the price of any given sample. In the GIA concept, 

Tourmaline might fall into these categories. However, as these names describe color, they are not quite as specific as mineral types, and one gemologist might describe a Tourmaline as a Indicolite, and another might say its just a blue tourmaline. Its all somewhat subjective - but ot entirely. There are certain diagnostic tools like a “Chelsea Filter” that can be used to differentiate shades of tourmaline and tell then apart in a fairly objective way. IN any case gemology is generally a more subjective science than true minerological analysis. 

  • Rubellite - Ruby red tourmaline
  • Indicolite - Deep blue colored tourmaline
  • Paraíba - A specific blue-green color associated with stones found in in Paraiba, Brazil
  • Chrome - A deep emerald-green hued color
  • Parti-colored - A tourmaline with multiple colors
  • Watermelon - A tourmaline with a pink center and a green “rind” when viewed on the c-axis.

Each of these trade names describes most in the most proximal way, a color of gem tourmaline. These colors are imparted by the presence of slight impurities in the chemical formula of a tourmaline sample, as well as due to electromagnetic charge transfers between elements present in the tourmaline.

Finally, in the collecting realm, you will often hear of Tourmaline described by its locality, and sometimes even more specifically, by the year it was found. So a famous Blue capped tourmaline from the 1998 Sapo find at Sapo Mine in Brazil is known as a '98 Sapo.

Some popular locality varieties include:

  • '98 Sapo - 1998 Sapo fInd of Blue Cap Tourmaline in Sapo Mine in Brazil 
  • Commander - Commander Mine Chromium Dravite from Tanzania
  • Virgem de Lapa
  • Piedra Parada
  • Coronel Murta
  • Many, many more….

Based on the above distinctions, you should begin to understand that Tourmaline is not “a Mineral” but rather, its one of the most sought-after mineral groups, which may come from many places, have many visual characteristics, and belong to one of over 30 different IMA recognized types of mineral species. 

Happy collecting!