Rare chrome tourmaline can show an emerald-like green color. With a highly desired color and tourmaline’s excellent jewelry stone qualities, this gem ranks as one of the top commercial stones on the market today. I hope my personal opinions and experiences dealing with this gem can help your chrome tourmaline buying go smoothly.

What Makes a Green Tourmaline a Chrome Tourmaline?

Basically, the green tourmaline or verdelite category includes any shade of green. However, chrome tourmalines differ chemically from their green cousins. The presence of chromium produces its emerald-like color. For this reason, chrome tourmalines are usually distinguished from other green varieties of tourmaline. (Vanadium can also produce green color in tourmalines and has been found in stones identified as chrome tourmalines).

Many consider chrome tourmaline’s deep green the top green color for tourmalines. Thus, you’ll find a significant price difference between these tourmaline varieties. Chrome tourmaline’s price per carat is significantly higher and can jump considerably after one carat. Green tourmaline’s price per carat doesn’t jump much before reaching five carats.

See our green tourmaline buying guide for additional information on non-chrome green tourmalines.

Chrome Tourmaline Buying and the 4 Cs

With a hardness of 7 to 7.5…