Teal Tourmaline

Teal tourmaline is a gem variety of elbaite whose color sits between blue and green, evoking peacock feathers or ocean water. It bridges the indicolite (blue) and verdelite (green) color categories.

The attractive teal hue results from a combination of iron and sometimes copper or other trace elements. Stones can lean more blue or more green and may shift slightly under different lighting.

Desirable teal tourmaline has become especially popular in contemporary and bridal jewelry as an alternative to sapphire and other blue-green gems.

Teal tourmaline forms in granitic pegmatites, crystallizing from boron-, lithium- and water-rich late-stage fluids. Iron is the primary coloring agent for the blue-green range, while copper-bearing (cuprian) tourmalines from certain deposits can produce especially vivid teal tones.

Crystals grow in pockets with quartz, feldspar and other colored tourmalines, and color often varies along a single crystal.

Sources include Brazil, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mozambique and Madagascar; the finest neon teal stones can come from copper-bearing Paraiba-type deposits.

Teal tourmaline shows the typical striated prismatic habit and rounded triangular cross-section, with hardness 7-7.5, vitreous luster, white streak and no cleavage.

Its blue-green color combined with strong pleochroism (often appearing more blue in one direction and greener in another) is diagnostic and helps separate it from singly refractive blue-green stones like some garnets and from apatite, which is softer (5 Mohs).

Against sapphire, tourmaline is lighter, less dense and more strongly pleochroic; lab testing confirms identity when needed.

Teal tourmaline is increasingly popular in rings, especially engagement rings, plus pendants and earrings, valued for its distinctive ocean color and good durability.

Copper-bearing teal stones with neon saturation can command very high prices, while iron-colored teals offer attractive color at more accessible cost.

Metaphysically, blue-green tourmaline is linked to communication and the heart, claims that are traditional rather than scientific.