Tourmaline: The Kaleidoscopic Gemstone

Research Article| October 01, 2011 Tourmaline: The Kaleidoscopic Gemstone Federico Pezzotta; Federico Pezzotta 1Natural History Museum Corso Venezia 55, 20121 Milan, Italy E-mail: fpezzotta@yahoo.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Brendan M. Laurs Brendan M. Laurs 2Gemological Institute of America 5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, California 92008, USA E-mail: blaurs@gia.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Federico Pezzotta 1Natural History Museum Corso Venezia 55, 20121 Milan, Italy E-mail: fpezzotta@yahoo.com Brendan M. Laurs 2Gemological Institute of America 5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, California 92008, USA E-mail: blaurs@gia.edu Publisher: Mineralogical Society of America First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1811-5217 Print ISSN: 1811-5209 © 2011 by the Mineralogical Society of America Elements (2011) 7 (5): 333–338. https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.7.5.333 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Federico Pezzotta, Brendan M. Laurs; Tourmaline: The Kaleidoscopic Gemstone. Elements 2011;; 7 (5): 333–338. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.7.5.333 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyElements Search Advanced Search Abstract With their multitude of colors, gem tourmalines are among the most popular colored gemstones. Spectacular color-zoned tourmalines are valued as gems and crystal specimens, and some complexly zoned crystals contain nearly the entire spectrum of color variation found in the mineral world. The top-quality "neon" blue-to-green, copper-bearing tourmaline, the Paraíba-type, is one of the highest-priced colored gemstones, with values comparable to those of some diamonds. The wide variety and intensity of colors are related primarily to color-producing ions in the structure and to exposure to natural radiation. Gem tourmalines that form in magmatic, pegmatitic environments are most commonly elbaite and fluor-liddicoatite species, and the rarer gem tourmalines that develop in metamorphic rocks are generally dravite–uvite species. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.