Green Tourmaline (Verdelite) Buying Guide

You’ll frequently find green-colored tourmaline or verdelite on the market. Green is a popular color, and tourmalines make excellent jewelry stones. To help your verdelite shopping go smoothly, I’ll share my personal opinions and experiences dealing with this gemstone.

What’s the Difference Between Green Tourmaline and Chrome Tourmaline?

Green tourmaline encompasses any shade of green. Many consider chrome tourmaline’s deep green the top green color for tourmalines. However, chrome tourmaline differs chemically. Chromium produces its emerald-like color. For this reason, chrome tourmalines are usually distinguished from verdelites.

You’ll also find a significant price difference between these tourmaline varieties. Chrome tourmaline’s price per carat is significantly higher and can jump considerably after a carat. Verdelite’s price per carat doesn’t jump much before reaching five carats.

If you like green and you’re on a budget, green is the tourmaline for you.

I’ll deal with chrome tourmalines in another article. The following information refers just to green tourmalines.

Verdelite Buying and The Four Cs

With a hardness of 7 to 7.5 and no cleavage, tourmalines of all types have good durability. However, watch out for stones with flaws/low clarity. These may be weaker.

Color

Green tourmaline’s color ranges from yellow-green …