Insights into Indicolite

Tourmaline stones have a very complex chemical composition, and over a dozen mineral species of tourmaline are recognized. The most common species of tourmaline are Schorl, Dravite, and Elbaite. Elbaites were first discovered on Elba Island in Italy in 1913, and account for nearly all colored varieties of tourmaline gemstones. They are distinguished from other species of tourmaline for their richness in lithium. In fact, elbaites played an important role in the early discovery of the lithium element in Swedish labs in 1818.

Tourmalines are not only found in every hue of the rainbow but in every range of color intensity imaginable. The ranges in color are so abundant that different shades of tourmaline are often better known by their own individual names. You have undoubtedly heard of red-colored tourmalines or Rubellites; then there is Chroites, which is colorless; Paraiba, a neon-blue to green tourmaline variety that is colored by copper; and Indicolite, the rarest of them all, which possesses a very complex blue shade colored by iron. The presence of iron in Indicolites makes it the only blue gemstone of any kind that will show a drag response when a neodymium magnet is applied.

Indicolite’s name originates from the Latin word for a blue-colored plant known as the “Indicum.” This shade of tourmaline is so rare that the gem commands some of the highest prices per carat among gem collectors.

The desirability of indicolites can be attributed to much more than just their chemical rarity; they are among the most beautiful gems in this world. Indicolite stones are strongly pleochroic, meaning they appear to be different colors when being viewed from different angles. When viewed through their vertical axis, indicolites appear darker in color than when seen through their horizontal axis. Certain indicolites can even exhibit a cat’s eye effect when polished into cabochons.