The Definitive Tourmaline Buying Guide
Tourmaline is a category of semi precious stones; its name is derived from Tourmalin, the French word for a certain kind of rock. Individual species names are not employed in gemological practice. All are simply referred to as “tourmaline” with no further distinction. The name is said to signify “mixed parcel” in Sinhalese. Certified green tourmaline can be bought from Iris Gems.
Tourmaline's Color
The hue of these semi precious stones runs the gamut, and this variety is so great that it would be hard to explain every colour class in this article. Color quality, however, doesn't need to be found because it's a collection of universal standards. Color-wise, we're going with GIA's method. The GIA uses three primary factors to define colour: hue, tone, and saturation. There are various colours in Tourmaline, certified green tourmaline can be bought from Iris Gems.
When examining the colour of these semi precious stones, take into consideration these three elements. Let's start with Hue.
Hue of Tourmaline
Hue, the least impactful component when it comes to quality, mostly refers to the colour that the human eye sees. Human eyes perceive light and interpret it as colours based on the spectrum it has passed through. When talking about different colours of these semi precious stones, we name reds and pinks rubellite, greens verdelite, and blues indicolite. Certified green tourmaline can be purchased from Iris Gems.
Tone of Tourmaline
The tone of these semi precious stones describes the difference between a colour sensation's lightness and darkness. Tourmaline is like all gemstones in having the colour quality important component in it. In a nutshell, it's a way of describing how dark or bright something looks. You should look for an ideal middle-range colour. It should not be too dark or too light.
Tourmaline's Color Palette
Of the three major factors for determining the colour of Tourmaline, this is the most significant. It relates to the extent to which the colour is bright/clear.
"The T-Shirt Analogy" is when a T-shirt comes to mind: the kind with the deep, crimson red colour. It starts off as a bright red colour. Over time, it will fade to an inferior state because the colour will wash out of it. When it first came out, it was intensely vibrant, but over the years, the brightness faded.
When evaluating a Tourmaline for colour quality, one must consider the richness and vibrancy of the colour saturation.
Lighting
Tourmaline has different illumination requirements according to the colour kind. Coloureds, greens, blues, and violets tend to appear the most attractive under daylight lighting, while reds, oranges, and yellows appear best under incandescent lights. Whenever purchasing these semi precious stones, one should examine them under different light sources in order to avoid problems. Iris Gems has the best quality of certified green tourmaline with excellent AAA grade quality.
Clarity
Tourmaline's varying grades of clarity tend to come from a single kind. This means that even while the marketplace has some nice big blue and blue-green tourmalines with clarity, practically all tourmalines with a red or pink colouration will have noticeable inclusions. Tourmaline is known for being full of broken crystals and healed liquid-filled cracks. It is not uncommon to see needle inclusions. Certified green tourmaline with excellent quality is now available at Iris Gems.
Cut
As with the colours of tourmaline, the cutting has many variations. To display one of the pleochroic colours, darker tourmalines are chopped to expose the other one. The c-axis should be parallel to the table facet. Because tourmaline crystals are lengthy, tourmaline gems cut in this orientation are commonly rectangles and rectangular emerald cuts. Lighter tourmalines often show richer colour if they are positioned with the table facet at a 90-degree angle to the c-axis. This results in them being chopped into rounds, triangles, trillions, and ovals quite commonly. Take a look at the tourmaline suite and you'll see for yourself. Cabochon cut tourmalines are seen with faceted gems.
Sources
Tourmaline is mined from pegmatite deposits, which are located in notable regions worldwide. Brazil has the most, but in San Diego County (containing the well-known Pala pegmatite district), Maine, and other places, it is possible to get certified green tourmalines and other variants of tourmaline of excellent quality. Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar are all known for producing beautiful variants of these semi precious stones. Malawi produces lovely canary tourmalines, while Nigeria produces extraordinary rubellites and tourmalines of both blue-green and yellow hues. In addition to Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Burma, gem tourmalines are found on occasion in the mines of other countries including Burma and Sri Lanka. AAA grade quality certified green tourmaline is now available at Iris Gems.
Enhancements
Tourmaline colour enhancements are nearly limitless in kind. Semi precious stones made from the mix remain functional and risk-free when used every day. Some facilities rely on heat while others employ irradiation. Tourmaline occasionally gets oiled to disguise surface-reaching fissures and other noticeable fractures.
Excellent quality certified green tourmaline that is highly valued for its beauty and rarity is available at Iris Gems.
