Color change chrome tourmaline

[fel]

So I wasn't planning to buy anything, and then I saw this and impulsively bid on it... a color changing chrome tourmaline.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370865638485?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Now I'm not sure what to do with it. Suggestions? Also for those of you with color changing stones, can
you give me a sense of how often they tend to show the alternate color? So, for example if I put the tourmaline
in a pendant, would it almost always be green since incandescent light would probably not be shining
directly at my neck?

This is my first color changing stone. In concept I think they are really neat, but I am not sure what one
does with them in terms of design. This one is quite small, so that makes it a stretch for a pendant unless
paired with other stones. Also, I understand tourmalines do not make the best rings.

Thanks,
Fel

 

[Thuvia]

Don't be surprised if the stone is darker than you anticipate. The video appears to have been taken in very bright light. That being said, the green is very nice. But chrome tourmalines tend to have a brown cast, particularly under natural light. And unlike a lot of other tourmalines appear the most attractive (greenest in this case) under fluorescent lighting. So I'd be curious as to what types of lighting were used to display each color. I have a color change chrome tourmaline myself and I don't find either color wildly attractive. But that could just be my stone. In any event I would also expect the color change to be more subtle in person.

 

[chrono]

Very interesting tourmaline; I've seen green to red but not green to yellow.

I prefer to set colour shifting / changing stones in a ring in order to better appreciate the change. Depending on the quality of the gem, some will change very easily and some need a lot of prodding to show change. Those that change on a dime will show lot of variation, often both colours at the same time in mixed lighting. Since we rarely have a pure light source, you'll see the mixed colour side more often than the pure side of the gem.

I have set tourmaline in rings, only that they are occasional wear rings.

 

[fel]

I'll make sure to post pictures when I get the stone, so we can see what it looks like in real life. I hope it isn't that dark, but I am not so great at judging quality from online pictures and videos. Perhaps it could be on of several bezeled stack rings?

 

[chrono]

I find that colour changers and shifters do very poorly in bezeled settings; they need a lot of light coming in from as many directions as possible to shift quickly, easily and fully.

 

[fel]

Thanks Chrono -- that is very useful information. I have seen a few color changing garnets that seemed quite dark, so I can see how a bezel would be a problem.