Blue tourmaline, known by the trade name indicolite, is one of the rarer members of the tourmaline family. While pink and green tourmaline are relatively abundant, fine blue material is scarce, which keeps demand high among both collectors and jewellers.
The blue colour comes from iron and titanium in the crystal structure, and the exact shade can range from a pale sky blue through to a deep, almost inky blue, depending on the concentration and combination of trace elements present.
Indicolite is found alongside other tourmaline varieties in Afghanistan's pegmatites, though blue material is a smaller proportion of total production than pink or green, which is part of why it commands a premium.
Like other tourmalines, indicolite rates 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, making it suitable for both display specimens and jewellery.
Browse our Indicolite (Blue) Tourmaline collection.