Price/where to source a paraiba tourmaline 4.9 or 5.2mm

[vintagelover229]

I know that finding the right gemstone (especially one this rare) can take quite a bit of time and money. I have a beautiful RHR from JBEG that is a twin stone bypass ring and I'd eventually like to remove one of the diamonds for a pendant and put in a paraiba tourmaline into the ring to give it a nice 'pop' factor.

Here is a link to the ring
http://jewelsbyericagrace.smugmug.com/Jewelry/Rings-Antique-Vintage/Old-European-Cut-Twin-Stone/27724224_qNVv2F#!i=2336878184&k=pnXCqPx

I am aware of 2 smaller stones that I really like the color of that are owned by GregS and read though them but didn't see any place to source/search for these type of stones.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tiny-paraiba-setting-ideas.187788/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tiny-paraiba-setting-ideas.187788/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tiny-paraiba-part-2.189382/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tiny-paraiba-part-2.189382/[/URL]


I will need to take some time to save for this project (since I will need to pay to bezel the diamond as well-can't have loose stones lying around my house-things go missing thanks to my crazy cat!) as well as get the paraiba but I'd like to know who to contact to have them keep their eyes out on something. Ideally I'd like the stone to have an 'old world' feel about it-but I know my list is already stacked against me.

Any ideas?

Thanks so much

 

[minousbijoux]

You know you are trying to source one of the most expensive, sought after stones in the world? Oh, and sorry if I just stated the obvious to you; I meant no disrespect. If you are willing to settle for an African copper bearing you might have a better shot (depending upon the quality you seek). I would check Paraiba International, and, if I'm not mistaken, Greg either got his stones or considered getting his stones here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/FGS-GEMS/167547106603228

Good luck!

 

[minousbijoux]

One more thing - what is your budget for the stone?

 

[vintagelover229]

You know you are trying to source one of the most expensive, sought after stones in the world? Oh, and sorry if I just stated the obvious to you; I meant no disrespect. If you are willing to settle for an African copper bearing you might have a better shot (depending upon the quality you seek). I would check Paraiba International, and, if I'm not mistaken, Greg either got his stones or considered getting his stones here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/FGS-GEMS/167547106603228

Good luck!

Yes minousbijoux I do realize it's an expensive stone (I didn't realize it was the *most* expensive until I checked out Paraiba International and saw a half carat oval for over 2k-so thanks so much for that info). As far as paperwork goes-I could care less (I know, I know-saying that on the CS forum-shame on me!). I also don't mind some inclusions. It's more the color I'm after-the classic neon color that they are known for. Origins also doesn't matter to me and if I could/can find something with that same light blub glow that isn't a paraiba (which I highly doubt) I'd also be open to that.

I don't really have a budget for the stone but 2k is not an option. The one on paraiba International is .54 carats and 5.4mm (I need a round) and is over 2k. I would venture to say 500.00 or less but I can always save for a lot longer if need be or sell some other items to fund it if it's the perfect stone. I realize it's a tall order and after seeing the prices on that site I'll probably need to adjust my budget-which is fine since I'm sure it will take quite some time to locate the stone anyways.

Thanks for the FB link-I'll check it out.

 

[Xrisus]

Hi VL229, you can try contacting Gino at tourmalineshopping.com. I purchased a nigerian cuprian tourmaline from him about a month ago. The color did not work out for me so he refunded me no questions asked. He did offer me a 1.72 ct Nigerian tourmaline for $575, but I had other stones I was putting that money towards, so I did not go through with it. I spoke with him for a while, and was curious how he had so many Nigerian stones. Apparently he had a lot of contacts in Nigeria which led to him having so many stones from that region. I will attach the pictures he sent me. I'm betting the in-hand color is somewhere between the 2 pictures, but probably closer to the first. Good luck, and if your tourmaline search gets tiring, there are some really nice zircons, and apatite (albeit a softer stone), that can give you similar color to a neon blue for less money. Good luck, the thrill is the hunt!

 

[Xrisus]

...I should also add it looked to me like there is a slight window in the stone.

 

[Barrett]

Gino is no good...you can read past threads of mine on other forums as well as this one, calling BS. I bought some cuprians from him and they didn't test positive for Cu..this is after I made the rookie mistake of selling one to a friend for over $1000 and it came back as non-copper bearing when he had it tested by Dr. B at UNA. This was right after I had Bruce check one I got from him that turned out to be negative as well. His so called facet rough is junk. |

Oh..and either him or a close family member sneaks into the violet's claim mine site in the wah wah mountains during winter time to steal red beryl crystals....whoops did I let that slip on a public forum

link here
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tourmaline-outlet-do-not-buy-from-them.140071/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tourmaline-outlet-do-not-buy-from-them.140071/[/URL]

 

[Xrisus]

Thanks Barrett, I actually had no idea! Now I'm a little worried as I actually don't see my refund on my credit card yet! I'll give it a while, as I know it can sometimes take a while for the cc company to process a refund (still waiting for the cc company to process one from Jeff Davies, who I do trust).

That being said, to the original poster-I always go first for color, with the chemical composition being of not as much importance to me personally. That being said, that glowy quality of cuprian tourmalines, is really only found in cuprian tourmalines. However, some stones can come relatively close in character. One of my afghani tourmalines (non-copper bearing) looks very nice, just not that sterotypical neon blue color. I stll love the color anyways!

 

[pregcurious]

Hi VL229, you can try contacting Gino at tourmalineshopping.com. I purchased a nigerian cuprian tourmaline from him about a month ago. The color did not work out for me so he refunded me no questions asked. He did offer me a 1.72 ct Nigerian tourmaline for $575, but I had other stones I was putting that money towards, so I did not go through with it. I spoke with him for a while, and was curious how he had so many Nigerian stones. Apparently he had a lot of contacts in Nigeria which led to him having so many stones from that region. I will attach the pictures he sent me. I'm betting the in-hand color is somewhere between the 2 pictures, but probably closer to the first. Good luck, and if your tourmaline search gets tiring, there are some really nice zircons, and apatite (albeit a softer stone), that can give you similar color to a neon blue for less money. Good luck, the thrill is the hunt!

The second photo is majorly photoshopped. Look at the bright blue background.

EDIT: Just read all the posts. Definitely will stay away.

 

[chrono]

I agree with you that things are stacked against you:
1. Must be round.
2. Must be a specific mm size
3. Budget and colour

Given that, if you are gentle on your rings, you might want to consider alternatives. They aren't exactly the same but are less expensive and most laypeople cannot tell the difference. Zircon and apatite are good candidates.

 

[Edward Bristol]

I have been on Paraiba hunt for a while.

Despite a healthy budget and reasonable demands it is not easy, to put it mildly.

 

[vintagelover229]

...I should also add it looked to me like there is a slight window in the stone.

The color (bummer it's photoshopped) on that stone is beautiful. It would make me happy if it was really that color. But based on the price (and the post below) I can see that it's to good to be true. I hope your refund comes though!

Gino is no good...you can read past threads of mine on other forums as well as this one, calling BS. I bought some cuprians from him and they didn't test positive for Cu..this is after I made the rookie mistake of selling one to a friend for over $1000 and it came back as non-copper bearing when he had it tested by Dr. B at UNA. This was right after I had Bruce check one I got from him that turned out to be negative as well. His so called facet rough is junk. |

Oh..and either him or a close family member sneaks into the violet's claim mine site in the wah wah mountains during winter time to steal red beryl crystals....whoops did I let that slip on a public forum

link here
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tourmaline-outlet-do-not-buy-from-them.140071/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tourmaline-outlet-do-not-buy-from-them.140071/[/URL]

Oh my gosh! Thanks so much for the caution. What kind of a person would do such a terrible dishonest thing!?

I agree with you that things are stacked against you:
1. Must be round.
2. Must be a specific mm size
3. Budget and colour

Given that, if you are gentle on your rings, you might want to consider alternatives. They aren't exactly the same but are less expensive and most laypeople cannot tell the difference. Zircon and apatite are good candidates.

I'm more than happy to wait/save since I'm pretty hard on my rings. Although the zircon color is def. appealing I checked a few sites and still didn't see much in terms of shape/size I would need. I guess I'll have to throw out the net and wonder if anything ever comes back. I'm not in any rush. Thank you for your honesty though!

I have been on Paraiba hunt for a while.

Despite a healthy budget and reasonable demands it is not easy, to put it mildly.

Hi Edward-do you mind sharing who is hunting for you? I realize that this is almost an impossible task-which is a good thing since I need to save up for it or do a fast unload on a few pieces I'd rather not part with if it suddenly drops in my lap!

Good luck on your hunt

 

[vintagelover229]

This would be the prefect stone if it were round. And not almost 3k lol

But if I have too I'll sell everything I don't really wear (which is most of my stuff lol) to fund the perfect stone.

http://www.paraibainternational.com/product_info.php?product=3438

ETA: I just realized it's 4.9mm or 5.4mm which the oval above is 5.4mm but it's an oval and I highly doubt it would work in the setting I have.

 

[chrono]

Here's one place to get you started:
5 mm round at $66. It's not the best but cutting looks decent and I would ask for the nicest of the bunch since these are in a parcel.
http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-round-blue-zircon.html

Nothing at Multicolour (too large) and there's a ton of synthetics out there. I will keep looking if you want to go this route.

 

[vintagelover229]

Here's one place to get you started:
5 mm round at $66. It's not the best but cutting looks decent and I would ask for the nicest of the bunch since these are in a parcel.
http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-round-blue-zircon.html

Nothing at Multicolour (too large) and there's a ton of synthetics out there. I will keep looking if you want to go this route.

Well that is much more affordable! It reminds me more of aqua though and not really the neon green color. Is it possible to have that windex color or am I out of my mind?

Price factor is a HUGE difference though! If I can find a very vibrant and unique color that doesn't remind me of aqua (I'm not a fan of the lighter blue paraibas) that would be a route I will def. consider.

I guess I might also be open to other hard stones that are very unique in color (I really want a 'glowing' appearance).

 

[chrono]

A little too big at 5.5 mm but at least it is round and priced at only $17, with shipping you will end up paying under $25. There is a window though. I'll keep looking.
http://www.gemselect.com/apatite/apatite-365014.php

 

[vintagelover229]

http://www.gemfix.com/zircon_blue.html

They have some amazing colored zircons that would probably work but they are all way to big. I've sent a few emails out and hopefully someone will have something down the pipes in the future that will fit the bill.

Thanks so much Chrono-keep them coming. Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[chrono]

Not that nice looking but no harm in asking if he has another 5 mm round zircon with better colour.
https://www.primagemsusa.com/products/128,91,47,41

I checked out GF earlier and thought it's a pity they are too large for your setting too.

 

[vintagelover229]

Not that nice looking but no harm in asking if he has another 5 mm round zircon with better colour.
https://www.primagemsusa.com/products/128,91,47,41

I checked out GF earlier and thought it's a pity they are too large for your setting too.

I sent him an email (GF) to see if he has something smaller. Frank also got back to me (I think he sourced GregS stones) and he said he has some rough depending on the color he can cut chunky. I sent him a link to one of Greg's threads to show him the color. I also sent him a link to GF zircons just in case he has access to rough that's similar. We'll see how this pans out!

 

[carmen1]

Since you are considering zircons, these are not the exact size you need, but close (there's a 4.7 & a 5.0). Plus you'll have 3 extra stones to do something fun with
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6656

 

[cm366]

It might be worth asking Dana at mastercut gems what else he's got in that size range, too... he can be a little slow to respond sometimes, but he has a terrific stash of smaller coloured stones and might be able to find a neon-y Afghan tourmaline or blue zircon to fit your requirements...

 

[minousbijoux]

It might be worth asking Dana at mastercut gems what else he's got in that size range, too... he can be a little slow to respond sometimes, but he has a terrific stash of smaller coloured stones and might be able to find a neon-y Afghan tourmaline or blue zircon to fit your requirements...

Or maybe even a small African cuprian? You are looking for a fairly small stone, probably right under 1/2 carat so it might be financially doable, if someone actually has some.

 

[pregcurious]

I sent him an email (GF) to see if he has something smaller. Frank also got back to me (I think he sourced GregS stones) and he said he has some rough depending on the color he can cut chunky. I sent him a link to one of Greg's threads to show him the color. I also sent him a link to GF zircons just in case he has access to rough that's similar. We'll see how this pans out!

Who is Frank?

 

[GregS]

I sent him an email (GF) to see if he has something smaller. Frank also got back to me (I think he sourced GregS stones) and he said he has some rough depending on the color he can cut chunky. I sent him a link to one of Greg's threads to show him the color. I also sent him a link to GF zircons just in case he has access to rough that's similar. We'll see how this pans out!

Who is Frank?

He is the owner of FGS gems. Really nice guy.

Since the cat's out of the bag, yes, I got my stones from Frank. He was adamant that the bigger of the two I have was the last of it's kind that he had, I know this because I harassed him up one side and down the other for another one. If he whip's another one out, I'm going to be very upset with him (sarcasm...sort of ).

He has a lot of what I'd label as Cuprian Tourmalines, whether they are from the original deposit in Brazil or not, they didn't strike a chord with me like the two I purchased. However I'm fairly certain I only laid eyes on a small fraction of what he has.

 

[VapidLapid]

Constantine Wild has this small one (half carat), among others, no prices listed, but you can always ask.

http://www.gemstone.de/home/index-home.html

 

[vintagelover229]

Since you are considering zircons, these are not the exact size you need, but close (there's a 4.7 & a 5.0). Plus you'll have 3 extra stones to do something fun with
http://mastercutgems.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=6656

Thanks so much for the link carmen1-however I don't have any extra funds to have extra stones sitting around and it's not the color I'm looking for. Those are much paler than I am shooting for-I know it's going to be hard to find a color close to what gregS has but I need to try. It's just to beautiful to not aspire to!

It might be worth asking Dana at mastercut gems what else he's got in that size range, too... he can be a little slow to respond sometimes, but he has a terrific stash of smaller coloured stones and might be able to find a neon-y Afghan tourmaline or blue zircon to fit your requirements...

I can't recall who I sent messages to yesterday cm366 but I'll give it a shot if no one gets back to me soon. Gene from precision has responded but said that he has nothing left in rough and that finding a cut stone is going to be tough and if so-around 2k-10k per carat. I emailed him back with the other suggestions and we'll see what comes up. I'll try to shoot Dana a message today if I didn't yesterday.

It might be worth asking Dana at mastercut gems what else he's got in that size range, too... he can be a little slow to respond sometimes, but he has a terrific stash of smaller coloured stones and might be able to find a neon-y Afghan tourmaline or blue zircon to fit your requirements...

Or maybe even a small African cuprian? You are looking for a fairly small stone, probably right under 1/2 carat so it might be financially doable, if someone actually has some.

Thanks minousbijoux-I emailed both of the vendors who've replied to me to include those in their searches. Maybe something will pop up!

I sent him an email (GF) to see if he has something smaller. Frank also got back to me (I think he sourced GregS stones) and he said he has some rough depending on the color he can cut chunky. I sent him a link to one of Greg's threads to show him the color. I also sent him a link to GF zircons just in case he has access to rough that's similar. We'll see how this pans out!

Who is Frank?

He is the owner of FGS gems. Really nice guy.

Since the cat's out of the bag, yes, I got my stones from Frank. He was adamant that the bigger of the two I have was the last of it's kind that he had, I know this because I harassed him up one side and down the other for another one. If he whip's another one out, I'm going to be very upset with him (sarcasm...sort of ).

He has a lot of what I'd label as Cuprian Tourmalines, whether they are from the original deposit in Brazil or not, they didn't strike a chord with me like the two I purchased. However I'm fairly certain I only laid eyes on a small fraction of what he has.

GregS: I'm so sorry-I didn't realize it was a secret! He did say he had nothing from that stock left-so no worries there Sad for me Don't think you'd want to part with one that you have would you

Constantine Wild has this small one (half carat), among others, no prices listed, but you can always ask.

http://www.gemstone.de/home/index-home.html

I REALLY like the glow on that pair Vapidlapid-I might have to shoot them an email too! The sad thing is my computer needs some updates so I can't view any of their stock!

I'll keep everyone updated. Frank is supposed to email me some options after he views what he has on Friday. I'm confident I'll be able to find something suitable. Maybe not quite as amazing as GregS's but when your late to the game by about 8 years and are working with a certain shape/size (not to mention budget) I guess I can't be super picky lol!

 

[minousbijoux]

Greg, I'm truly sorry...I thought you had already told us, because how else would I have known? In any case I am really sorry to out your vendor.

 

[Mico]

Constantine Wild has this small one (half carat), among others, no prices listed, but you can always ask.

http://www.gemstone.de/home/index-home.html

Love this one . I have a soft spot for pears.

 

[GregS]

Greg, I'm truly sorry...I thought you had already told us, because how else would I have known? In any case I am really sorry to out your vendor.

It's ok, I revealed my source in the initial thread.

 

[Resonance.Of.Life]

Not to threadjack...but I contacted Frank as well, and he indicated he had 2 ovals left from the same stock as Greg Now I'm really confused!