Is tourmaline expensive? Tourmaline is a pegmatite mineral, which naturally suggests that it is mined from the world’s great pegmatite districts, of which Brazil stands at the forefront as the foremost source.
However, fine tourmalines are also found in San Diego County, including the famous Pala Pegmatite District, and Maine. Other countries where tourmalines of different colors, varieties, and quality can be found include Nigeria, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Burma.
Having said that, people are more concerned with the prices of tourmalines than their origins because that’s the only thing that concerns the sizes of their pockets.
Is tourmaline expensive? Well, to answer this question, tourmalines are fairly easy to obtain at a modest cost.
Compared to other gemstones, they are less expensive. While tourmalines cost less than other gemstones, we must note that their prices vary greatly depending on the variety and quality.
For instance, Paraíba tourmalines, being extremely rare in faceted stones above 2 carats and considered world-class pieces, go as high as tens of thousands of dollars per carat.
Chrome tourmalines, rubellites, fine indicates, and bi-colors may sell on the relatively high side of $1000/ct. or more. Other varieties go as low as between $50 and 750/ct., of course, depending on the richness of their colors.
Why is Tourmaline Expensive?
As noted before, tourmalines cost less than other gemstones. Their ready availability means that their prices are equally within reasonable ranges.
Small tourmalines (under 5 carats) are fairly easy to obtain at a modest cost. Only when you get into large sizes or extremely rare or fine colors do prices go over a few hundred dollars per carat.
They are less expensive and affordable for an average income earner because of their availability and fair commonness of color. However, some tourmalines come in rare colors, such as pure blue, red, orange, yellow, and purple, which puts their prices on the high side. Also, color-changing tourmalines are relatively expensive because of their rarity.
The same goes for neon-blue paraíba tourmalines, raspberry-red rubellites, and emerald-green chrome tourmalines, which equally have their prices on the high side.
Is Pink Tourmaline Expensive?
Well, the answer is no. Pink tourmalines are generally less expensive.
Fairly large-sized stones of pink tourmaline are relatively affordable. Furthermore, as we have pointed out earlier, one of the factors accounting for the unaffordability of some tourmalines is the rarity of their colors. Those that come in common colors are very affordable.
Pink tourmalines are abundant and thus more affordable. Another factor determining the value and price of pink tourmalines is quality, and this quality is measured by color, clarity, cut, and size. More saturated and brighter pinks tend to be the most valuable and, of course, most expensive.
Therefore, vivid pink tourmaline stones and pink sapphires are more valuable and expensive.
The bottom line is that pink tourmalines are common and abundant, making them relatively less expensive. However, the more saturated and brighter the pink is, the more valuable such pink tourmalines will be and the more expensive they will be.
Is Black Tourmaline Expensive?
No, black tourmalines are not expensive.
Although black tourmaline is an alluring crystal belonging to the schorl species of tourmaline gemstones, with impressive physical and metaphysical properties and holding intrigue for scientists and spiritualists alike, it is the most affordable tourmaline stone!
While high-quality tourmaline in other colors like pure blue, red, orange, yellow, and purple can cost as much as $500 per carat or more, faceted black tourmaline costs around $27 per carat on average. However, this depends on the level of craftsmanship.
Those with simpler shapes cost around the range of $6 to $20 per carat, while those with intricately shaped stones have prices pegged at around $30 to $60 per carat. Raw black tourmaline is the cheapest of them all. It costs between $0.10 and $1 per carat at wholesale prices.
Is Green Tourmaline Expensive?
![30 Pieces Strand | Natural Green Tourmaline Rough Sticks | Drilled Long Tourmaline Minerals Smooth Size - 6 - 20 MM 5 Inch [NFBA 32]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41U1rVjm1zL._SL500_.jpg "30 Pieces Strand | Natural Green Tourmaline Rough Sticks | Drilled Long Tourmaline Minerals Smooth Size - 6 - 20 MM 5 Inch [NFBA 32]")
Common colors such as pastel green tourmaline, mint green, large light-medium green, medium-dark green, medium olive green, translucent green, etc., are on the low side, costing between 75 and 200 per carat.
Natural blue-green tourmaline, dark blue-green tourmaline, blue-green tourmaline, and multi-color are among the more expensive colors. For instance, a natural blue-green tourmaline gemstone is $445 per carat.
Is Watermelon Tourmaline Expensive?
Yes, watermelon tourmaline is relatively expensive. Watermelon tourmalines with vivid, clearly separated colors are very rare and cost quite a mint.
It costs between $500 and $600 per carat. What accounts for this is the rarity of its color and its intricate shapes. Their complex structure makes cutting tourmalines expensive difficult.
A great deal of expertise goes into the identification of areas of tension within the stone, without it cracking during the cutting process. Of course, this would naturally be reflected in the prices of the finished products.
In terms of color, watermelon tourmalines boast a variety of concentrically colored red interiors and green exteriors, making a distinction from longitudinal bi-color or polychrome zonation. Watermelon tourmalines exhibit bands of color resembling a ripe slice of watermelon, with a red or pink center surrounded by a rim of green, often separated by a sliver of pale pink or white.
Why is Paraiba Tourmaline so Expensive?
Paraiba tourmalines are so expensive because they are one of the rarest, most sought-after, and most expensive gemstones in the world. They have a captivating and mesmerizing glow and spirited colors, making them rare and enjoying popularity in the gemstone world.
According to research reports, this precious, rare gemstone has a gold content that is much higher in proportion than that of the earth’s surface. Their rarity is further compounded by the fact that, presently, they can only be found in copper-rich areas such as Brazil, Nigeria, and Mozambique.
Among these countries, Brazil offers the rarest Paraiba tourmalines, which are among the rarest gemstones in the gemstone world.
Also, Paraiba tourmalines are very expensive because they are difficult to mine. They are mostly mined with their hands or excavated with their hands, which makes their mining processes pretty difficult, tiring, and time-consuming.
This is because they are mostly found in small veins that are as thin as pencils.
Finally, the world is running out of paraiba tourmaline gemstones, given the fact that there are only a few mining sites producing very small yields from years of heavy mining.
How Expensive is Tourmaline?
Tourmalines are the least expensive gemstones in the gemstone world. They cost less and are pocket-friendly compared to other precious gemstones.
However, although they generally cost less, their prices vary to a considerable degree depending on the variety and quality. And the determinants of their value are the rarity or commonness of their colors and the intricacies of their shapes and sizes.
The Paraiba tourmalines are the rarest, most sought-after, and most expensive gemstones in the world. They cost the most, going as high as tens of thousands of dollars per carat.
While chrome tourmalines, rubellites, fine indicates, and bi-colors cost around $1000 per carat, others, such as pink, green, black, and white tourmalines, etc., sell for as low as $1.8 to 750 per carat, depending on the richness of the color.
How Much Do Black Tourmalines Cost?
Well, black tourmalines are less expensive. They are the least expensive of all the varieties of tourmaline gemstones.
Faceted black tourmaline costs around $27 per carat on average. However, this depends on the level of craftsmanship.
Those with simpler shapes cost around the range of $6 to $20 per carat, while those with intricately shaped stones have prices pegged at around $30 to $60 per carat. Raw black tourmaline is the cheapest of them all. It costs between $0.10 and $1 per carat at wholesale prices.
Which is More Expensive: Opal or Tourmaline?
October boasts two precious birthstones, unlike most other months with just one. Opal is the first October birthstone, while the second is tourmaline.
The good thing is that these two precious gemstones have many things in common, some of which are: that they both have the widest and most diverse color ranges in the world of gemstones, and they do not only occur in uniform colors but a variety of banded colors.
However, they considerably differ on the cost side. Tourmalines are more affordable than opals.
High-quality precious opals are sometimes less affordable than emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and even diamonds. The determinants of this are color, pattern, and clarity.
For instance, black opals that have more carat weight, ranging from 5 to 10 carats, can cost as much as $50,000. The same goes for fire opals, which have a value of $50 to $10,000 per carat. On the other hand, the most expensive tourmalines, Paraiba, cost about ten thousand dollars per carat.
Conclusion
Tourmalines are precious gemstones that come in almost every color, from bright red to colorless. They boast more colors and banded colors than any other gemstone in the world.
And the good news is that the question “is tourmaline expensive?” that naturally forces itself out of the mouths of those who behold these beautiful gemstones is answered in the negative. Tourmalines are the least expensive gemstones in the world, though some varieties are on the relatively high side.
