Show me your copper bearing tourmaline!

[RSargent]

I love that violet color. They are scarce because so many were destroyed to try to turn them that blue everyone wanted. Sad....

 

[minousbijoux]

I have repeatedly found that the violet is not nearly as attractive nor nearly as glowy and neon as when it is heated and turns blue...perhaps I've been looking at all the wrong violets!

 

[Marlow]

Paraiba ****!!!

So many AWESOME stones - you drive me crazy!!!!!!!

TL - the round!!!!!

Minousbijoux - the last cushion-oval!!!!!

I have only some small brazilian and two purple mozambique stones.

 

[Xrisus]

Minous, that oval with the ballpoint pen nearly blinded me...please add a disclaimer before such a post. I have to drive in less than 30 minutes, hopefully I can recover by then!

 

[Marlow]

Minous, that oval with the ballpoint pen nearly blinded me...please add a disclaimer before such a post. I have to drive in less than 30 minutes, hopefully I can recover by then!

You should add some diclaimer too!!!

I love the small oval - which size and weight??

And the brazilian??

 

[T L]

I have repeatedly found that the violet is not nearly as attractive nor nearly as glowy and neon as when it is heated and turns blue...perhaps I've been looking at all the wrong violets!

They're not supposed to be. It's the heating that turns them that desired neon blue. Some people find that neon blue kind of garish though, and it's nice to have an untreated violet specimen. Violet is one of the rarest tourmaline colors.

 

[NKOTB]

My Mozambique cuprian from Peter Torraca... At its worst, it's a pretty mint tourm, but in the right lighting, I finally understand that whole "battery operated" thing.

 

[Arcadian]

I have repeatedly found that the violet is not nearly as attractive nor nearly as glowy and neon as when it is heated and turns blue...perhaps I've been looking at all the wrong violets!

It sounds to me that you're very sensitive to the grey that may be present in lilac/violet. I have only heard and seen pictures of dark purple tourmalines that may also be in the cuprian family, but I don't know of those are just unicorns.

TL, garish or not, I wouldn't be throwing a neon blue cuprian out of bed for eating crackers!

 

[regina3737]

Re:

Date: 5/21/2010 12:28:22 PM
Author: amethystguy
lolo..a straw silly

...LOLOL..that would also turn some heads..

Silly me!  Of course! 

  Add in a few umbrellas, a couple of pieces of fruit and I''ll be happy! 

Might as well be drinking a sangria, either way those stones are AMAZING!

 

[RSargent]

I wonder if it's because all the good ones were heated? I've heard the more included violets were left alone because the inclusions cause the stone to fracture or split during heating --sometimes exploding! Don't me wrong. Glowy is glorious. I just prefer my gems not to be tampered with. Mother Nature does a miraculous job already. That doesn't mean I don't own plenty if "treated" gems. It's just the natural ones that I revere the most.

 

[Arcadian]

I wonder if it's because all the good ones were heated? I've heard the more included violets were left alone because the inclusions cause the stone to fracture or split during heating --sometimes exploding! Don't me wrong. Glowy is glorious. I just prefer my gems not to be tampered with. Mother Nature does a miraculous job already. That doesn't mean I don't own plenty if "treated" gems. It's just the natural ones that I revere the most.

I'm ok with treatments as long as I know about them and have the choice to avoid or not. Lack of disclosure is what makes me grind me teeth.

I'm pretty sure that mine would have likely exploded. it doesn't look like a good candidate for heat treating at the temps they need to turn blue.

@NKOTB, what size is that? it looks huge!

 

[NKOTB]

I wonder if it's because all the good ones were heated? I've heard the more included violets were left alone because the inclusions cause the stone to fracture or split during heating --sometimes exploding! Don't me wrong. Glowy is glorious. I just prefer my gems not to be tampered with. Mother Nature does a miraculous job already. That doesn't mean I don't own plenty if "treated" gems. It's just the natural ones that I revere the most.

I'm ok with treatments as long as I know about them and have the choice to avoid or not. Lack of disclosure is what makes me grind me teeth.

I'm pretty sure that mine would have likely exploded. it doesn't look like a good candidate for heat treating at the temps they need to turn blue.

@NKOTB, what size is that? it looks huge!

It's just over 3 cts. (And I'm gonna halo it. )

 

[Arcadian]

I wonder if it's because all the good ones were heated? I've heard the more included violets were left alone because the inclusions cause the stone to fracture or split during heating --sometimes exploding! Don't me wrong. Glowy is glorious. I just prefer my gems not to be tampered with. Mother Nature does a miraculous job already. That doesn't mean I don't own plenty if "treated" gems. It's just the natural ones that I revere the most.

I'm ok with treatments as long as I know about them and have the choice to avoid or not. Lack of disclosure is what makes me grind me teeth.

I'm pretty sure that mine would have likely exploded. it doesn't look like a good candidate for heat treating at the temps they need to turn blue.

@NKOTB, what size is that? it looks huge!

It's just over 3 cts. (And I'm gonna halo it. )

 

[T L]

I have repeatedly found that the violet is not nearly as attractive nor nearly as glowy and neon as when it is heated and turns blue...perhaps I've been looking at all the wrong violets!

It sounds to me that you're very sensitive to the grey that may be present in lilac/violet. I have only heard and seen pictures of dark purple tourmalines that may also be in the cuprian family, but I don't know of those are just unicorns.

TL, garish or not, I wouldn't be throwing a neon blue cuprian out of bed for eating crackers!

Believe it or not, some people really don't like those vivid neon colors. Me, on the other hand,

I'm enjoying all the eye candy in this recently opened older thread. So nice to see you back again Arcadian as well.

 

[Acinom]

My Mozambique cuprian from Peter Torraca... At its worst, it's a pretty mint tourm, but in the right lighting, I finally understand that whole "battery operated" thing.

What a beauty NKOTB!!

I love this thread.

 

[minousbijoux]

Minous, that oval with the ballpoint pen nearly blinded me...please add a disclaimer before such a post. I have to drive in less than 30 minutes, hopefully I can recover by then!

You should add some diclaimer too!!!

I love the small oval - which size and weight??

And the brazilian??

I'm sirry if therre are typing erorrs. vCan't see because Xrsis did not proviode a wanrning.

**MB grumbles off looking for her two seeing eye dogs...**

 

[minousbijoux]

Re: Re:

Date: 5/21/2010 12:28:22 PM
Author: amethystguy
lolo..a straw silly

...LOLOL..that would also turn some heads..

Silly me!  Of course! 

  Add in a few umbrellas, a couple of pieces of fruit and I''ll be happy! 

Might as well be drinking a sangria, either way those stones are AMAZING!

 

[Xrisus]

Marlow: The oval is about a 7mm x 5mm (not exactly, but close) I forgot the weight on it though. The brazilian round stone is small, around 3.3mm. I wish I had a couple pictures of my other 2 brazilian stones as they are a nice glowy predominantly green/blue hue, which brings me to....

NKOTB: I'm always a sucker for a green cuprian, that thing is huge and an awesome color!

 

[pregcurious]

So beautiful. I definitely missed the Paraiba train.

 

[mochiko42]

Sigh.. I'd love a nice blue one...

 

[Dioptase]

I wonder if it's because all the good ones were heated? I've heard the more included violets were left alone because the inclusions cause the stone to fracture or split during heating --sometimes exploding! Don't me wrong. Glowy is glorious. I just prefer my gems not to be tampered with. Mother Nature does a miraculous job already. That doesn't mean I don't own plenty if "treated" gems. It's just the natural ones that I revere the most.

Not just the good ones, almost everything is heated in the rough. A lot break and develop cracks during the process (I heard around 80%) and are treated afterwards with Excel or Opticon to seal the fractures. After that, the stones are cut into cabs or faceted.

 

[pregcurious]

Not just the good ones, almost everything is heated in the rough. A lot break and develop cracks during the process (I heard around 80%) and are treated afterwards with Excel or Opticon to seal the fractures. After that, the stones are cut into cabs or faceted.

Thanks, Dioptase, I didn't know that there was so much cracking and treatment.

 

[Marlow]

So beautiful. I definitely missed the Paraiba train.

Missed the train...

Imagine a Munichshow 1990 or 1991 - a young man visiting the show with enough money stand in front of several booth with a NEW tourmaline.

500 pct for a half carat EY/IF turquoise oval - 1000 for a one carat top neon stone - EY or IF..... no !!!! to expensive - you buy some small stones 2 x 0,07 ct and thats it !!! I am so clever!!!! tourmaline for 1000 pct!!!

How much would a top color 1 ct EY brazilian Paraiba cost today......

 

[pregcurious]

I didn't know they were around in 1991. I guess that makes me feel a little better. I didn't seriously consider them until 2005. I didn't buy my first CS until 2009.

 

[Marlow]

1000 DM 1990 would be around 1800 EUR today ..

A tourmaline at this time was around 20-100 DM per carat so 1000 was really expensive.

It was a booth with a young german-brazilian man - I bought the two stones and good dozend of small roughpieces ( will make a pic).

Talked long with these guy and good enough information - was really impressive!! I have never seen him after that show....

It was the first time in Munichshow and the quality was insane ( clarity!!!) - larger ( 0,30 ct) clean stones jumped in the 90th course they are really rare. Small melee was and is still available in good qualities in Inhorgenta but a for example 0,5 ct turquoise eyeclean - no way!!!

A mozambique paraiba I still need in my collection...but larger stones are expensive and smaller ( 1ct ) often washed out..

 

[Acinom]

Adding my Paraiba tourmaline:

 

[Marlow]

Still think it is unreal - a neon LED bulb in a cushion shape!!

 

[Xrisus]

Marlow, don't feel too bad. I remember Steve Perry telling me a story of a time back in the 1990's when he was in Brazil not too long after the Batalha mine find, and stones were making it out into the local market. He was negotiating for a fairly good size parcel of cuprian tourmalines from the Batalha mine (all faceted) to purchase. He came to an agreeable price, left for minutes to procure the cash, but by the time he came back, another person purchased the entire lot (a German I believe is what Steve told me, anyone you know?).

 

[RSargent]

Yuk. Filler glue even...now they are even Be diffusing them I've heard. Even lab certs are scary! What can one do!!?? Love seeing these lovely stones. Any more natural color cuprians old there to send a photo of?

 

[NKOTB]

Acinom, all I ever think when I see your ring is Acinomnomnom. It's really stunning.