Intergem find - 9.4 carat seafoam blue tourmaline from Brazil

[T L]

Well, went to Intergem recently and while I was there, I came across a very obscure booth with a benchman in it. He had some very meh gems, and some that were okay, and then this one tourmaline that just glowed from across the room. I was very interested, and looking at other booths with even more expensive tourmalines that looked coprse colored, I came back to this one dealer. He even let me take it outside to evaluate it in the sunshine, and the glow did not disappear, it held it's color, so I had to have it. It is 9.4 carats, and it's included, but that kept the price down. I even negotiated a lower price. It's so hard to find these tourmalines in saturated color. I had a dealer friend of mine, who specializes in tourmalines and spinels, take a look at it. She louped it and said it looked like a real tourmaline. In any case, it's the most saturated seafoam color in my collection, and even makes some of my cuprians look sick. Sunlight photo.

The dealer told me it was from his friend who is Brazilian and obtains these stones from there, so it's a Brazilian stone. It really looks Afghan to me though. I'm assuming heat treatment, but I don't know for sure. Indirect sun photo.

 

[T L]

Here it is in incandescent lighting, on my fingers to show you an idea of the size of it.

I don''t know or care how I would set it, but I loved the color and the price, so I just bought it.

Incandescent light, where it is a bit more green, but still with blue in it.

 

[T L]

Indirect sun again.

 

[LD]

L

ve it. L

ve it. L

ve it.

Now please don''t tell me this honker of a stone is going to go into a ring with a halo?!

I don''t know what Intergem is but I think I''d like it!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/16/2010 4:50:31 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
L

ve it. L

ve it. L

ve it.


Now please don't tell me this honker of a stone is going to go into a ring with a halo?!

I don't know what Intergem is but I think I'd like it!

Thanks LD,
Intergem is an American gemshow that travels around the country. It's mostly for the public, and not anywhere near the size of Tuscon's big show. I will have to say, I saw lots of overpriced ugly color gems at Intergem this year. There were some pretty nice emeralds though.

There was one very very pricey vanadium chrysoberyl cushion in a mint color, but it looked more like a corpse color.

Nice luster though. I saw nice luster and cutting on many gems, but so many were really lacking in fine color, or were what looked to be treated gems (lots of orange sapphires and rubies, hmmmm?). The strange thing is that I ignored many of the higher end booths because those always seem to mean $$$$$. I was attracted to this one booth because it was very plain, and the gems were plainly displayed. They had some pretty spessartites set in rings, but it was a very unassuming booth. They had some semi-decent tourmaline cabochons. This one stone stuck out like a supermodel at the Rosanne Barr look alike contest though. LOL!

No halo! I would love it in rose gold though (don't puke!!). LOL!

 

[megeve]

Wow, TL, thats a fine looking gem! Love it!

 

[baby nurse]

It''s stunning! What a delicious color

 

[marcy]

Beautiful color. It looks like it glows.

 

[Arcadian]

Very nice TL! east/west setting? would also make a really nice pendant too.

-A

 

[oddoneout]

Lovely colour.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

That colour is fantastic! What a lovely find!

 

[T L]

Megeve, Marcy, baby_nurse, arcadian, oddoneout, LTP, thank you!!!

Here's another shot on the hand to give you an idea of the size. I don't care much for pendants, so I don't know if I would do one. Incandescent light. I scoured the show for this color tourmaline, and I couldn't even find it. I didn't see any Brazilian paraibas either, just washed out Mozambique paraibas.

 

[StonieGrl]

TL, I love that stone. OMG, the color, I could look at it all day. I also love the shape.

Can I talk you into a bracelet or necklace (necklace, not pendant)??? Please?

I can just see it in an 18 kt yellow gold bracelet, metal lightly textured in some manner.

Well, even though I think that would be da bomb, probably safer with a tourmaline to go necklace. Just think what JKT could do with that stone in a basket, she really polishes the basket on the stone-back side so that you can FANTASTIC light play and color from the light bouncing off. The necklaces she did for Barry (tourms) and for my mom''s birthday (ammie) in polished baskets were pretty spectacular.

Come on, TL, do a necklace with that!! Live Dangerously!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/16/2010 8:05:17 PM
Author: StonieGrl
TL, I love that stone. OMG, the color, I could look at it all day. I also love the shape.


Can I talk you into a bracelet or necklace (necklace, not pendant)??? Please?


I can just see it in an 18 kt yellow gold bracelet, metal lightly textured in some manner.


Well, even though I think that would be da bomb, probably safer with a tourmaline to go necklace. Just think what JKT could do with that stone in a basket, she really polishes the basket on the stone-back side so that you can FANTASTIC light play and color from the light bouncing off. The necklaces she did for Barry (tourms) and for my mom''s birthday (ammie) in polished baskets were pretty spectacular.


Come on, TL, do a necklace with that!! Live Dangerously!

Thanks Stoniegirl, but the problem is that if I did a pendant, I would never wear it. I didn''t know JKT did necklaces for Barry, now I have to go check those out!!

 

[soberguy]

Could it be Paraiba? Looks to have a nice glow to it! Can I have it? LOL!!

 

[SB621]

Great find! I love the color- it is beautiful! and i think rose gold would look awsome!

 

[T L]

Thanks Sarahbear!! Yes, rose or yellow gold definitely.

Date: 5/16/2010 8:12:34 PM
Author: soberguy
Could it be Paraiba? Looks to have a nice glow to it! Can I have it? LOL!!

Thanks Soberguy,
It could be, but I don't know if it contains copper. To be honest, I've seen non-copper bearing tourmalines with similar color, albeit they're rare. For example, I've seen Afghan tourmalines this color, and they do not contain copper. I actually didn't really care if it was copper bearing or not. To me, I just saw the color, and fell in love, especially because it has a completely open c-axis and holds its saturation of color in artificial and natural light. While I have seen tourmalines this color before, most of them have a closed c-axis, and you have to shine a ton of light on them to make them look good.

 

[chictomato]

It certainly GLOW! What a cool find. enjoy

 

[Lovinggems]

Gorgeous stone!

 

[sleepyspinel]

TL, your endless stream of great finds never ceases to amaze me! I really like the neon on this honker

-SS

Date: 5/16/2010 8:22:57 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Thanks Sarahbear!! Yes, rose or yellow gold definitely.



Thanks Soberguy,
It could be, but I don''t know if it contains copper. To be honest, I''ve seen non-copper bearing tourmalines with similar color, albeit they''re rare. For example, I''ve seen Afghan tourmalines this color, and they do not contain copper. I actually didn''t really care if it was copper bearing or not. To me, I just saw the color, and fell in love, especially because it has a completely open c-axis and holds its saturation of color in artificial and natural light. While I have seen tourmalines this color before, most of them have a closed c-axis, and you have to shine a ton of light on them to make them look good.

 

[VapidLapid]

Fantastic honker TL! I wish intergem would change its name. I always think indicolite, spessartites, hermaphrodites - the intergems. How about a nosering?

 

[T L]

Thanks Chicto, LG, SS!!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/16/2010 10:18:25 PM
Author: VapidLapid
Fantastic honker TL! I wish intergem would change its name. I always think indicolite, spessartites, hermaphrodites - the intergems. How about a nosering?

OMG, LMAO tonight from the jokes on the board. Thanks Vapid. Yeah, I can make two nose rings, one from my rose quartz and this, and I can wear them at the same time!! I won''t be able to breathe, but oh well. LOL!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I think it would look nice set into a wrist cuff, a thin one, not a super wide one...

 

[Indylady]

Date: 5/16/2010 10:54:56 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 5/16/2010 10:18:25 PM

Author: VapidLapid

Fantastic honker TL! I wish intergem would change its name. I always think indicolite, spessartites, hermaphrodites - the intergems. How about a nosering?

OMG, LMAO tonight from the jokes on the board. Thanks Vapid. Yeah, I can make two nose rings, one from my rose quartz and this, and I can wear them at the same time!! I won''t be able to breathe, but oh well. LOL!

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Seriously though, TL, that is one GORGEOUS tourmaline. I love the cut. What would you call it? It seems like its got a diagonal cutting pattern across the bottom.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 5/16/2010 10:54:56 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 5/16/2010 10:18:25 PM

Author: VapidLapid

Fantastic honker TL! I wish intergem would change its name. I always think indicolite, spessartites, hermaphrodites - the intergems. How about a nosering?

OMG, LMAO tonight from the jokes on the board. Thanks Vapid. Yeah, I can make two nose rings, one from my rose quartz and this, and I can wear them at the same time!! I won''t be able to breathe, but oh well. LOL!

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

Seriously though, TL, that is one GORGEOUS tourmaline. I love the cut. What would you call it? It seems like its got a diagonal cutting pattern across the bottom.

 

[virgoruby]

What a fantastic find!

 

[Nomsdeplume]

It''s gorgeous! What setting are you considering?

 

[brandy_z28]

Very cool stone TL! Interesting cut, nice size, and great color!

 

[VapidLapid]

Indy''s right, tell us about the cut. It looks almost like chevrons or dare I say, quilted! How about a photo of the pavillion? There is something very interesting going on there!