fell for a color...

[Cehrabehra]

This is BERYL - how often do you see this shade? I want to dream in this color!!! I think a perfect teardrop would be so lovely...

 

[Treenbean]

It looks like the prettiest shade of seafoam. Love that color. Stormy seas etc...

 

[T L]

Date: 5/6/2010 8:40:43 AM
Author:Cehrabehra

This is BERYL - how often do you see this shade? I want to dream in this color!!! I think a perfect teardrop would be so lovely...

I have one that color, but more saturated. I got it from Technofacet. It''s a store on ebay. I think AJSgems.com has some that color too (look under their beryl category). My stone is technically a very light emerald since it''s colored by chromium, but the tone is very very light. It''s like a seafoam.

 

[Cehrabehra]

seafoam - excellent!! This got a good search - look! ps photos! haha

I''m in love!

I like the lighter, greyer ones - the ones that look like mist... I need one!!

 

[jstarfireb]

I love that seafoam green color and hope to get a seafoam tourmaline some day.

 

[T L]

Those examples you posted are tourmalines, not beryls, so include tourmaline in your search. Myjewelrysource.com has some set seafoam tourmalines. I never bought from them, but their pictures are nice.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/6/2010 10:59:20 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Those examples you posted are tourmalines, not beryls, so include tourmaline in your search. Myjewelrysource.com has some set seafoam tourmalines. I never bought from them, but their pictures are nice.

I''ve noticed already the tourmalines are popping up quite a bit... are beryls harder to find? I never considered a stone like this because i''m not fond of the "minty" color... but the barely green slightly grey color is TDF!!!

 

[Kismet]

Date: 5/6/2010 11:07:34 AM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 5/6/2010 10:59:20 AM

Author: tourmaline_lover

Those examples you posted are tourmalines, not beryls, so include tourmaline in your search. Myjewelrysource.com has some set seafoam tourmalines. I never bought from them, but their pictures are nice.

I've noticed already the tourmalines are popping up quite a bit... are beryls harder to find? I never considered a stone like this because i'm not fond of the 'minty' color... but the barely green slightly grey color is TDF!!!

You might want to look under aquamarine as well. Something like this

 

[chrono]

If you want to get technical since some vendors might be surprised by the term “seafoam” colour, you can tell them that you are looking for a light slightly bluish green colour. Sometimes, unheated aquamarine will also come in that slightly grayish green with a hint of blue.

 

[T L]

Date: 5/6/2010 11:32:59 AM
Author: Chrono
If you want to get technical since some vendors might be surprised by the term “seafoam” colour, you can tell them that you are looking for a light slightly bluish green colour. Sometimes, unheated aquamarine will also come in that slightly grayish green with a hint of blue.

Seafoam is too vague a term and can be intepreted differently by different vendors. You need to tell them you want a light toned slightly bluish green color slighlty grey, as Chrono mentioned, or show them the photos of your "heart desires" stones. Prasiolite, which is a very inexpensive form of irradiated quarz, is that color too, but it''s much less money than a tourmaline or beryl in that color (which is typically natural for those stones). I don''t know your budget, so that''s something to consider.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 5/6/2010 2:27:06 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Seafoam is too vague a term and can be intepreted differently by different vendors.

I would, of course, disagree. The point of having these things is to attach them to different aspects of a person''s life and create meaning for the person who will own the piece. Pretty rocks are fine and all, but if the piece means something, is attached to a memory or can elicit a positive emotion, then it becomes much more prized by the owner. Describing stones with colors to which a person can relate strongly is just human nature and part of the fun of dealing in these things. I don''t think that you can ever convey how something really looks without doing this. Describing a color using a bunch of numbers just doesn''t cut it.

As for aquamarine and other stones in paler shades, well it''s just really difficult to cut some of them so that you can see any color at all. I just finished a 4 carat morganite which was distinctly pink/peach in the rough. The minute that darn thing was polished the color nearly disappeared. It''s still there in low light conditions, but kind of goes POOF when you take it outside or into other bright lights. The attached picture shows how this stone changes as the lighting changes and the paler aqua''s experience the same effect. The moral here is that many stones are either a medium color or almost no color and it really depends on when and how you''re looking at them. Getting the color "just right" usually requires designing the cut to just forget about brightness and maintain the color as much as possible.

 

[chrono]

Michael,
I don’t have a problem telling a friend that I have a seafoam tourmaline but I would not tell a vendor that I am looking for a seafoam tourmaline. Seafoam green might be a particular shade of green to me, a different shade of green to TL and also a completely different shade to you. After all, take a look at the seafoam at the beach and you’ll see that they come in various shades of pale green.

 

[T L]

I agree Chrono. No offense Michael, but I personally am not the type of person that cares for the romanticizing of colors in gems, afterall, what the heck color is "pigeon's blood???"

Since I never saw a pigeon's blood, do I have to guess?

When describing color to a vendor, use the hue (ex: slightly bluish green), tone (light, medium light, medium, medium dark, dark) and saturation (slightly greyish/brownish, moderately strong, strong, vivid etc. . . . ). A good colored gem vendor will understand what you're talking about and try to provide a more accurate stone according to your requirements.

Seafoam color? We once had a thread on that, and no one is still sure what exactly "seafoam" means, and it can mean a lot of different colors to many different people. Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 5/6/2010 4:13:38 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I agree Chrono. No offense Michael, but I personally am not the type of person that cares for the romanticizing of colors in gems, afterall, what the heck color is ''pigeon''s blood???''

Since I never saw a pigeon''s blood, do I have to guess?

Offense ? No way, we''re having a discussion and the only discussions worth having involve different points of view, (other wise I''ll fall asleep). As for "romanticizing", this is not what I am suggesting. I am suggesting a description that a person can connect with. I have only met a handful of people who even know what the words hue, tone and saturation mean when applied to color and even they tend to disagree about the finer points. BTW, they are all on this site or work for a lab. Most people do not ask for a particular hue, tone and saturation, but instead ask for something by describing common object which can get them close to what they want. Obviously describing greens as apple, grass, forest or "Caribbean" colors aren''t accurate, but they are far better than trying to describe a color using more specific terms which mean nothing to them. I think that the best way to get close to a color description is through pictures. The original poster of this thread has used a perfect example of how to convey the color that appeals to them. Post a picture and everyone immediately "gets it". The pictures can never be totally accurate, but a decent picture can certainly convey a lot more than a group of numbers relating to what one person sees as a gems hue, tone and saturation.

I don''t actually disagree with you or Chrono, but I also don''t think that most gem buying people will ever use all three of the terms hue, tone and saturation together when looking for a particular gem color.

 

[LD]

I don''t know if any of you remember but a few months ago there was a thread about what everybody considered to be "seafoam" as a colour? It was amazing how differently people perceived the colour.

Sara - I wouldn''t ask a Vendor for a seafoam coloured gem - but I would most definitely show them your reference picture because that speaks volumes and whether they think the colour is seafoam or not, at least they''ll know what you''re looking for!

 

[SB621]

I bought this tourmaline from Jeff White and he called it minty but to me it is more seafoam- once again it is all your preception. Regardless I wanted to say look at tourmalines too!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/6/2010 4:59:34 PM
Author: Michael_E


Offense ? No way, we're having a discussion and the only discussions worth having involve different points of view, (other wise I'll fall asleep). As for 'romanticizing', this is not what I am suggesting. I am suggesting a description that a person can connect with. I have only met a handful of people who even know what the words hue, tone and saturation mean when applied to color and even they tend to disagree about the finer points. BTW, they are all on this site or work for a lab. Most people do not ask for a particular hue, tone and saturation, but instead ask for something by describing common object which can get them close to what they want. Obviously describing greens as apple, grass, forest or 'Caribbean' colors aren't accurate, but they are far better than trying to describe a color using more specific terms which mean nothing to them. I think that the best way to get close to a color description is through pictures. The original poster of this thread has used a perfect example of how to convey the color that appeals to them. Post a picture and everyone immediately 'gets it'. The pictures can never be totally accurate, but a decent picture can certainly convey a lot more than a group of numbers relating to what one person sees as a gems hue, tone and saturation.

I don't actually disagree with you or Chrono, but I also don't think that most gem buying people will ever use all three of the terms hue, tone and saturation together when looking for a particular gem color.

You know, I think any reputable dealer in the trade should know these things, or have people working for him/her that understand these terms. As for the buying public, I agree many are clueless, but your "Pricescope Colored Stoner" is not your typical buying public.

We have that information to make much more informed/educated colored stone purchases.

As for the poor people that can only use seafoam to describe a color, I hope they get the gem they desire colorwise. It certainly wouldn't be enough for me to make an informed decision.

In the case of people that are not familiar with those terms, I would use photos as an example, and hope the vendor had a monitor that represented it accurately.

 

[Cehrabehra]

well I never liked seafoam or mint greens so how about I call it scottish mist? lol (TIC)

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/6/2010 3:59:47 PM
Author: Chrono
Michael,

I don’t have a problem telling a friend that I have a seafoam tourmaline but I would not tell a vendor that I am looking for a seafoam tourmaline. Seafoam green might be a particular shade of green to me, a different shade of green to TL and also a completely different shade to you. After all, take a look at the seafoam at the beach and you’ll see that they come in various shades of pale green.

GENUINE seafoam is the color that attracts me, but when I think seafoam I think of a brighter, bluer shade of mint. I''m really picky about the shades of green I like, far less about the shades of yellow.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/6/2010 6:32:39 PM
Author: Sarahbear621
I bought this tourmaline from Jeff White and he called it minty but to me it is more seafoam- once again it is all your preception. Regardless I wanted to say look at tourmalines too!

see I wouldn''t call that minty or seafoam, but I would call it lovely - it''s very close to the color calling to me and I''ve NEVER had what I consider a mint or seafoam do that lol

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/6/2010 6:41:35 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 5/6/2010 4:59:34 PM

Author: Michael_E



Offense ? No way, we''re having a discussion and the only discussions worth having involve different points of view, (other wise I''ll fall asleep). As for ''romanticizing'', this is not what I am suggesting. I am suggesting a description that a person can connect with. I have only met a handful of people who even know what the words hue, tone and saturation mean when applied to color and even they tend to disagree about the finer points. BTW, they are all on this site or work for a lab. Most people do not ask for a particular hue, tone and saturation, but instead ask for something by describing common object which can get them close to what they want. Obviously describing greens as apple, grass, forest or ''Caribbean'' colors aren''t accurate, but they are far better than trying to describe a color using more specific terms which mean nothing to them. I think that the best way to get close to a color description is through pictures. The original poster of this thread has used a perfect example of how to convey the color that appeals to them. Post a picture and everyone immediately ''gets it''. The pictures can never be totally accurate, but a decent picture can certainly convey a lot more than a group of numbers relating to what one person sees as a gems hue, tone and saturation.


I don''t actually disagree with you or Chrono, but I also don''t think that most gem buying people will ever use all three of the terms hue, tone and saturation together when looking for a particular gem color.

You know, I think any reputable dealer in the trade should know these things, or have people working for him/her that understand these terms. As for the buying public, I agree many are clueless, but your ''Pricescope Colored Stoner'' is not your typical buying public.

We have that information to make much more informed/educated colored stone purchases.

As for the poor people that can only use seafoam to describe a color, I hope they get the gem they desire colorwise. It certainly wouldn''t be enough for me to make an informed decision.

In the case of people that are not familiar with those terms, I would use photos as an example, and hope the vendor had a monitor that represented it accurately.

Well, I only dally over here - I''ve always wanted to get one or two RHR stones, but haven''t found what I want... I want a pear shaped one of these... pretty big too. More blue than green more grey than bright with moderate saturation. Maybe a rosecut, but definitely a pear. A teardrop. But not a sad blue teardrop, an ocean teardrop.

Obviously almost 4 years at pricescope has not turned me into a colored stoner yet lol

 

[Indylady]

Does anyone remember that blue lagoon colored gem...half aqua and half emerald (I think it had chromium and vanadium, please correct me if I''m off!)? It was in a recent thread.

 

[Cind11]

This is the tourmaline I received from Gene not quite a month ago. Do you call this seafoam?

 

[T L]

Date: 5/6/2010 9:56:04 PM
Author: Cind11
This is the tourmaline I received from Gene not quite a month ago. Do you call this seafoam?

I would call that medium light slightly bluish green with moderately strong saturation.

I would also call it beautiful!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/6/2010 7:39:17 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
Date: 5/6/2010 6:41:35 PM


Obviously almost 4 years at pricescope has not turned me into a colored stoner yet lol

If you don''t hang out a lot in colored stones, you can''t be a colored stoner!

 

[T L]

Here''s a piece of medium toned slightly bluish green rough with strong saturation, and it''s not as pale as the other examples way above, and yet some people would call this seafoam too.

 

[virgoruby]

Date: 5/6/2010 10:18:58 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Here''s a piece of medium toned slightly bluish green rough with strong saturation, and it''s not as pale as the other examples way above, and yet some people would call this seafoam too.

TL - That is beautiful!

It''s glowing... Is it your rough?

Cind - Can I see more pics of your beautiful tourmaline, please!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Yeah I''m the bratty cousin you only see on turkey day lol

 

[chrono]

Date: 5/6/2010 10:18:58 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Here''s a piece of medium toned slightly bluish green rough with strong saturation, and it''s not as pale as the other examples way above, and yet some people would call this seafoam too.

TL,
That''s not seafoam to me but it''s gorgeous!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I bought a stone! hehehehe..... am I a stoner YET? I bought it mostly based on its shape - it is the most perfect pear I''ve ever seen - it sung to me... I have no idea how accurate the color is in the photo so I''m keeping an open mind. It''s a cab which I wasn''t expecting but actually fits better into the whole teardrop thing I''m going for... I''m having it sent to my father in law who is coming out here in a couple weeks for 3 weeks - I''ll send it back with him and hopefully have a ring to pick up in July when we go visit! How impetuous, I know... but the price is ridiculously cheap. Even if I hate it, I can afford to. And the shape alone is perfect for me. Lovely and plump and squat but no saddlebags lol Oh geez the words we use lol I''m so excited! I hope it all works out... I''m a little worried about how a cab aqua will stand up but I''m willing to give it a go.

bezel set the cab right? I don''t want to change the shape of the stone at all or muss it up with prongs.

Now I just need to think about orientation and who to have design the ring.........