Is Red Tourmaline becoming more rare?

[bright ice]

Just curious, is it more difficult to find?

What would the more rare tourmaline be?

 

[Harriet]

Yes. The last major find was the Nigerian one of 2009, which produced fewer gems than originally thought. Paraiba tourmaline is rarer yet.

 

[Pandora II]

Be warned that a lot of it is irradiated and there is no way of telling if the colour is natural or not.

Ditto for heated paraiba tourmaline. I've heard that they can improve colour at very low temps that don't alter inclusions.