Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo heavy)

[MrsMagpie]

Hi all I'm mostly a lurker, but I thought I'd share my freshly fixed up stone. I inherited this Aquamarine from my grandmother, and it was in desperate need of a polish and had quite a sizeable window on the back. I just got it back today, and it looks so much better! I will have to see if I can get my hands on a before pic.

My paperwork I have on the stone states that it is an Aquamarine, but the gal at the jeweler's said she would say Topaz based on color. I'm curious what some of the eyes here think I have a pretty untrained eye, but I see a fair amount of green and grey, but I could be way off. I will say that the green is much more apparent after the re-cut. It lost a hair less than a carat but the surface measurements stayed basically the same.

Thanks for looking! I can't wait to set this!

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

More pics

 

[Arialle]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

This is a beautiful stone

I have seen both aquamarine and topaz in this shade of blue...it is really difficult to tell by naked eyes...
One indicator is the price though...topaz tends to be much cheaper than aquamarine (though I have no idea why...I think Topaz rank higher on the Mohs hardness scale?)

 

[Nsmike]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

This is a beautiful stone

I have seen both aquamarine and topaz in this shade of blue...it is really difficult to tell by naked eyes...
One indicator is the price though...topaz tends to be much cheaper than aquamarine (though I have no idea why...I think Topaz rank higher on the Mohs hardness scale?)

I can guess.
1 The history of aquamarine being included in the royal jewels of Europe.
2 A lot of blue topaz is treated
3 Topaz is subject to chipping
4 the difference in hardness is negligible Mohs 8 vs Mohs 7.5-8.

 

[Tourmaline]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

How exciting!!

 

[Acinom]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

What a beautiful result and I love the story behind the stone.

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

This is a beautiful stone

I have seen both aquamarine and topaz in this shade of blue...it is really difficult to tell by naked eyes...
One indicator is the price though...topaz tends to be much cheaper than aquamarine (though I have no idea why...I think Topaz rank higher on the Mohs hardness scale?)

Thank you

I figured it was a "could-go-either-way" color, but I have no clue about price on this guy. My Gramps got it and a handful of other gems as his commission when he was in real estate. Fun stuff! This stone and a green tourmaline were the only two in the parcel that had any sort of paperwork. The Gemologist as the jeweler's offered to identify it for me for a fee, but I declined. The certificate I have is signed by two GGs so I'll call it good for now? but there's still that doubt, ha!

 

[chrono]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

Ask the lapidary who tweaked the stone for you. He/she should be able to tell you.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

Ask the lapidary who tweaked the stone for you. He/she should be able to tell you.

Very true. Cutting and polishing an aquamarine would give the cutter a different feel than cutting and polishing topaz.
A simple refractive index measurement will quickly separate the two stones.

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

Ask the lapidary who tweaked the stone for you. He/she should be able to tell you.

I went through my local jeweler, and they won't tell me who he is She says because he only deals with trade,I can't know who cut it. I live in an area where I know of two lapidaries within an hours drive, and I probably should have just contacted one of them on my own... bah!

I wondered if he told the gal at the shop, and that's why she said topaz.

So here's another question: The paperwork I have on this is from the United States Gemological Services, Inc and dated 1981. It looks like USGSI is no longer in business, but can I consider it legit?

Once I get this set, I will have it appraised for sure.

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

What a beautiful result and I love the story behind the stone.

Thanks I'd never be able to have a stone like this on my own, and the added bonus is the family history. And it looks so much better now- it had a pretty good sized scratch on top, but all better now!

I have to say, I am DYING over your VC topaz. DYING. It's absolutely stunning!

 

[PrecisionGem]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

This is a beautiful stone

I have seen both aquamarine and topaz in this shade of blue...it is really difficult to tell by naked eyes...
One indicator is the price though...topaz tends to be much cheaper than aquamarine (though I have no idea why...I think Topaz rank higher on the Mohs hardness scale?)

I can guess.
1 The history of aquamarine being included in the royal jewels of Europe.
2 A lot of blue topaz is treated
3 Topaz is subject to chipping
4 the difference in hardness is negligible Mohs 8 vs Mohs 7.5-8.

Actually it is the same as most things in life... supply vs demand.

Topaz is much much much more common than aquamarine. Aquamarine with a stronger blue is very rare, blue topaz is not. Very large clean pieces of blue topaz are readily available, the same is not at all true for aquamarine.

 

[partgypsy]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

It would bug me to have this stone and not know whether it is an aqua or a topaz. If you can't ask the cutter, then send it away for a gem brief or get an appraisal? Most salespeople in jewelry stores are shockingly uninformed about gemstones so I wouldn't take one salesperson's view of it.

 

[Nsmike]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

I'd really wonder about a jeweler that would judge a stone simply by color especially aquamarine vs topaz. I believe a simple thermal conductivity test would be the go to test.

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

It would bug me to have this stone and not know whether it is an aqua or a topaz. If you can't ask the cutter, then send it away for a gem brief or get an appraisal? Most salespeople in jewelry stores are shockingly uninformed about gemstones so I wouldn't take one salesperson's view of it.

It bugs me to some extent, mostly because I have a document signed by two GGs stating it's an Aqua, but the gemologist at the store (the one who supposed it was Topaz based on color) just looks at me like I'm lying and/ or dumb. I don't know... it irks me, ha

This is what I have, if anyone know about this lab I'm all ears! I can't find much about them, other than some of the older stones sold on the internet have i.d cards or what have you from them.

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

I'd really wonder about a jeweler that would judge a stone simply by color especially aquamarine vs topaz. I believe a simple thermal conductivity test would be the go to test.

I wasn't thrilled, but she was more than happy to take it home and test it for a fee. They were nice enough, but after all this experience I'm going to be going into LA to have it set.

 

[stracci2000]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

What a beautiful stone!!
Hopefully you can find out for sure whether this is aqua or topaz. It will be a fabulous ring.

Also, Mrs Magpie, I have to say that I love that photo of Kauai in your avator!!

When I was a kid, my dad used to call me a magpie, because I loved shiny things...and still do!

 

[MrsMagpie]

Re: Got my Aquamarine back from the cutter today! (photo hea

What a beautiful stone!!
Hopefully you can find out for sure whether this is aqua or topaz. It will be a fabulous ring.

Also, Mrs Magpie, I have to say that I love that photo of Kauai in your avator!!

When I was a kid, my dad used to call me a magpie, because I loved shiny things...and still do!

Thank you! I'm excited to get it set so I can look at it more often

Kauai is pretty much the only place my husband and I have traveled to, and it's just so beautiful. All of the different shades of blue and green- amazing!

Too funny about your dad calling you a magpie, that's exactly how I earned my nickname. No such thing as too much shine & sparkle!