How rare are yellow tourmalines?

[Caroline2308]

I am collecting for my rainbow tourmaline collection, was wondering if anyone can help me with yellow tourmalines.

How rare are they really? I've seen on couple on eBay selling but doesn't mention about any treatment.

Thanks!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Hello and welcome to PS! Yellow tourmaline is not particularly rare, but, like anything else, the quality and size will dictate the price. I think they're beautiful. And I've found that some of the citrusy greenish-yellow shades could be dupes for fine chrysoberyl. Good luck in your hunt!

 

[T L]

I am collecting for my rainbow tourmaline collection, was wondering if anyone can help me with yellow tourmalines.

How rare are they really? I've seen on couple on eBay selling but doesn't mention about any treatment.

Thanks!

Not rare, and should be affordable. Rare colors are violet and paraiba blue.

Not sure if yellows are irradiated, but I know some reds/hot pinks are.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Yellow yellow, not brown/yellow, or green with yellow is kind of rare. I see very little pure yellow tourmaline in the rough, and when I do, it priced about the same as good rubellite tourmaline.

 

[Caroline2308]

got this photo from a seller on etsy says its almost neon yellow green but has inclusions and some scratches... any thoughts on this color?

 

[Caroline2308]

Hello and welcome to PS! Yellow tourmaline is not particularly rare, but, like anything else, the quality and size will dictate the price. I think they're beautiful. And I've found that some of the citrusy greenish-yellow shades could be dupes for fine chrysoberyl. Good luck in your hunt!

I did find one 5ct ish and it infact does look like an chrysoberyl! thank you!

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

got this photo from a seller on etsy says its almost neon yellow green but has inclusions and some scratches... any thoughts on this color?

Depends if you like it?

It's a little kryptonite-ish for me but as you can see from my name I prefer a more mellow yellow!

Are you making a ring with it?

 

[Caroline2308]

Depends if you like it?

It's a little kryptonite-ish for me but as you can see from my name I prefer a more mellow yellow!

Are you making a ring with it?

no just collecting as many colors as possible!

 

[fredflintstone]

Yellow Tourmaline is rarer than most colors of Tourmaline, though this is all relative, as Tourmaline has more color hues than any other stones species and is common. True purple may be the rarest of Tourmaline colors.

 

[T L]

I was watching one of Vlad Yavorskyy’s YouTube videos on tourmaline, and he calls this rare greenish yellow color, “canary tourmaline.” I have not seen that shade of tourmaline ever, but lots of brownish yellows, so I stand corrected.

 

[T L]

True purple may be the rarest of Tourmaline colors.

Grape purple and violet are pretty rare. Most have been heated to produce blues.

 

[icy_jade]

I was watching one of Vlad Yavorskyy’s YouTube videos on tourmaline, and he calls this rare greenish yellow color, “canary tourmaline.” I have not seen that shade of tourmaline ever, but lots of brownish yellows, so I stand corrected.

Ok found an SSEF link:

Canary tourmaline from Zambia - SSEF

by Dr. M.S. Krzemnicki, first published in Facette 27 (June 2021) Tourmaline is a mineral group of complex boro-silicates and is well known to produce gemstones in a wide range of beautiful colours. A specifically attractive variety is vivid yellow elbaite tourmaline, which owes its colour to...

www.ssef.ch

Think pure orange tourmaline is rare too. Only have one orange in my collection but several yellows.

 

[T L]

Can you kindly share the video link? Thank you

I have one that’s greenish yellow so now I’m curious.

Think pure orange tourmaline is rare too. Only have one orange in my collection but several yellows.

He briefly mentions it around the 59 second mark.

 

[icy_jade]

He briefly mentions it around the 59 second mark.

Thanks! Sadly the one I was thinking of isn’t a canary but I wonder if the one in the bottom corner will qualify.

 

[T L]

@icy_jade , Very pretty yellow.

For anyone searching for a yellow tourmaline, I would just make sure I viewed it under different light sources before considering purchase. In my experience, most tourmaline are notorious color shifters. Yellow can become brownish, depending on the lighting..

 

[T L]

So the article that @icy_jade posted confirms that brownish yellows can be heat treated to get rid of the brown.