Tourmaline occurs in every color of the rainbow. Originally found in Sri Lanka in the 1700's, Brazil is now the leading producer of Tourmaline.

Tourmaline can have as many as seven colors in a single crystal, with bi-color and tri-color faceted stones being available on the market.

A variety known as "Watermelon tourmaline" is quite popular and will contain bands or rings of pink, green and a white or pale yellow.

Another popular but rare variety known as Paraiba has created a buzz in the marketplace. Originally found only in the Federal Brazilian state of Paraiba, Paraiba Tourmaline gets its neon appearance from copper.

Although the Paraiba mine has not produced material for some time, a find of copper bearing Tourmaline has been discovered in Africa. This African material is being sold on the market as Paraiba, but it should be made clear that this material is not the original Paraiba Tourmaline.