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Red spinels appeared in historic collections as rubies long before the two minerals were distinguished. The Black Prince’s Ruby is a well-known example. Tanzania’s 2007 discoveries renewed international interest in pink and orangy-red spinels. Mahenge subsequently became an important name in the collecting history of spinel.

Blue spinel belongs to the same mineral species as the red spinels found in historic collections. Colour, transparency and carat weight contribute to its gemmological interest. GIA notes the limited availability of fine red, pink and blue spinels above five carats. Cobalt identification and colour-change behaviour are separate characteristics that should be documented by a gemmological laboratory.

The modern history of tsavorite is associated with Campbell Bridges’s discovery in Tanzania in 1967 and subsequent discoveries in Kenya in 1970. Tiffany introduced the gemstone to a wider audience in 1974. GIA’s fiftieth-anniversary account records collector stones weighing 31.27, 33.55 and 58.52 ct, illustrating the place of large specimens in tsavorite’s history.

Tourmaline’s wide colour range once led to confusion with other gemstones. Its name derives from a Sinhalese term associated with mixed gems. Descriptive names such as Lagoon refer to appearance, rather than establishing mineral identification or geographic origin. The laboratory report remains the source for the identification and recorded characteristics of an individual tourmaline.

Tanzanite entered the international gem trade after discoveries in northern Tanzania in 1967. Tiffany named it after its country of origin and promoted it in 1968. Blue and violet became the colours most closely associated with the gemstone. Laboratory descriptions also record multicolour specimens, whose colour distribution forms part of their individual documentation.

The Paraíba name has its origins in Brazil. Copper-bearing tourmalines are also documented from Mozambique. GIA identifies copper as a contributor to their characteristic colour. Colour terminology and geographic origin describe different aspects of a gemstone and are recorded separately in laboratory reports.