Just picked up my Paraiba Tourmaline!

[RockHugger]

And its prettier then I remembered! I was also able to haggle him down in the price to 175 from 300!
I have the lab report also, and it is a 2.45ct stone (I thought it was larger before, no biggie but helped with haggeling) and says "trace of copper (Cu) element is determined in this stone).

Here are the pics!!
No flash, no lighting, just natural diffused sunlight. It actually glows MORE the darker the lighting.It looks like a darker blue then when it was in the bright jewlery lights. Now I see why they say they 'glow from within'!

 

[RockHugger]

My glamour shot. Again no lighting other then diffused natural light. This one is right next to the window. The hand shot was further away in darker light. That is sooooo cool how it does that!

 

[AprilBaby]

Very pretty color and cut! What are you going to do with it?

 

[RockHugger]

Close up in my living room. No flash, low lighting. The pic is a little blurry but it really shows the glow of this stone! Oh and the needles are so fine they are even hard to see under 10x magnification. I know someone mentioned them in in a previous post (tourmaline lover or loving diamonds?)

 

[T L]

Date: 12/5/2009 1:10:51 PM
Author: Tropicgal10
Close up in my living room. No flash, low lighting. The pic is a little blurry but it really shows the glow of this stone! Oh and the needles are so fine they are even hard to see under 10x magnification. I know someone mentioned them in in a previous post (tourmaline lover or loving diamonds?)

Tropicgal,
It was both of us and some others that mentioned the needles actually. It''s good they''re small and fine. It has a delicate color. What are your plans for it? I recommend a halo, but I halo everything - LOL!!

 

[chrono]

Not too bad after all. I suggest a very enclosed setting to try to hide the huge window. I would not bezel it because it''s not worth the risk of damage for a pretty coloured stone.

 

[RockHugger]

The window really isnt too bad in person. Pictures make it look worse then it really is.

I went looking for a setting today but no luck yet. I agree halo would be pretty!

 

[LD]

Date: 12/5/2009 4:30:12 PM
Author: Tropicgal10
The window really isnt too bad in person. Pictures make it look worse then it really is.

I went looking for a setting today but no luck yet. I agree halo would be pretty!

Tropic - that window isn''t huge it''s ENORMOUS. Seriously, that is one heck of a window. It''s a pretty colour around the edges but the middle is totally washed out. Sadly many gemstones are cut in this manner to try to maximise weight and beauty gets lost.

I noticed in your collection thread that many of your gemstones have windows so it''s obviously not something that bothers you which is excellent because you''ll have a wide range of gems to pick from. It''d drive me bonkers and I''d be having everything re-cut!!!! In fact a very lovely cutter on this forum is considering re-cutting one of my lovely Paraiba Tourmalines to make it look better!

I would take on board TL and Chrono''s suggestion. That stone needs a halo with a serious metal basket underneath the gem to try to close the window. It should close slightly if you have metal underneath to reflect back the colour. Have a look at the LOGR settings on Ebay. The Legacyesque type setting has a nicely closed bottom that might work.

 

[Arcadian]

The color is fab! WOuld look very nice in yellow gold

-A

 

[RockHugger]

Window or not, Its a pretty stone. I have done some research on it, and I got it for a STEAL compaired to what they are sold for. I have researched them and they go for 2-3k for a stone this size, clarity and color. I like LOGR and have bought from them before. Ill look for something. Wont be setting it till next year though.

 

[T L]

I would also recommend yellow gold. It will bring out some more saturation of color. High karat - 18K and above if possible. $175 is very reasonable for this, and please if you do set it, make sure your jeweler does not put it in a US cleaner which they sometimes do after setting it.

 

[RockHugger]

I hate the US cleaners, and ALWAYS request it is skipped with any of my jewelry.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Haha LD, I agree with you on the window. Although I''m hesitant to recommend a precision recut since once you go precision, it''s awfully hard to go back...

I know that after I saw Barry and Gene''s work in person, I could never look at a windowed/badly cut stone the same way again, lol.

 

[RockHugger]

You know, just because someone posts a stone they love, it doesnt mean people should pick it apart. Some people dont value perfection.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Haha, I didn''t meant to pick it apart or ruffle your feathers, I personally enjoy stones with inclusions so I''m with you on not being a fan of the "perfect" stone so to speak.

I just think that getting stones recut can be addictive (and probably expensive), and a slippery slope if you find you like the results.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Very pretty color. It goes well with the sea shells and candles! Congrats!! and TFS.

 

[Lovinggems]

I love the glowy colour.

 

[T L]

Tropicgal,
I have stones with windows, enormous windows, ha!! But I love them because of the color. I also own precision cut gems, and to tell you the truth, for me, it''s color that I look for first and foremost. Some people are really into precision cutting and that''s fine as well. We all have different things we love about gems, and I''m so glad you''re happy with your lovely new gem. Please enjoy it in the best of health and happiness. It''s a wonderful gift to yourself this time of year.

 

[blithesome71]

That''s a lovely purchase tropicgal. Congrats

Its color (& the shells in the background) reminds me of ocean waves, beach sands, cool breeze... what a relaxing sight to the eyes.

 

[Deelight]

Tropic I think the colour is beautiful - really serene and glowy congrats on your find should be a fun stone to set .

 

[RockHugger]

Thats what i first noticed when I saw it, the color. Expecially when I brought it home and it was in ''normal'' lighting, I saw the glow people talk about. Even last night when it was almost pitch black in the room I looked at it and it was somehow still shining. It is a nice ocean blue/green.

Like I said though, the window isnt as bad as the pictures show. Yes it has one, but the pictures make it look worse then it is. If it wasnt such a valued stone I would get it recut. I would hate to loose .5 or more of a Ct on it OR it be damaged in the cutting. I put it in some settings yesterday when I picked it up, and it does close up quite a bit.

 

[T L]

Date: 12/6/2009 8:11:09 AM
Author: Tropicgal10
Thats what i first noticed when I saw it, the color. Expecially when I brought it home and it was in ''normal'' lighting, I saw the glow people talk about. Even last night when it was almost pitch black in the room I looked at it and it was somehow still shining. It is a nice ocean blue/green.

Like I said though, the window isnt as bad as the pictures show. Yes it has one, but the pictures make it look worse then it is. If it wasnt such a valued stone I would get it recut. I would hate to loose .5 or more of a Ct on it OR it be damaged in the cutting. I put it in some settings yesterday when I picked it up, and it does close up quite a bit.

I only recut one cuprian of mine because I thought the cutting on it was so completely awful, and I didn''t think it would lose much value. It''s the one I showed you the before and after cutting on in that one thread. However, I agree that if a stone is pretty valuable per carat, I wouldn''t recut it either. I hope LD is listening because she has a large Mozambique paraiba with incredible color and she''s talking about recutting it, and I am pleading with her, LD, please don''t recut your paraiba!!!

I have another cuprian (I typically don''t call them paraiba unless they''re from Brazil) that has really glowy color, but it also has a huge window and a huge inclusion across the table, but I did not recut it. I get tons of compliments on that stone regardless of the hideous cutting and the inclusion because the color is so nice. I''m sure it would look great recut, but I don''t want to lose any of the caratage and the color speaks volumes in terms of the importance of the stone.

 

[RockHugger]

I saw your cuprians, they are very pretty. I got ALOT of compliments when I took it out looking for a setting, but noone had ANY idea what a paraiba tourmaline is LOL. The jewelry store clerks were like "tourmaline what?". LOL. They thought it was a pretty stone though.

What kind of inclusion is in your cuprian? Feather or needle? Mine has some inclusions, but they are under the girdle facets and inless the stone is upside down you cant see them. Sometimes inclusions give a shallow stone a little more sparkle.

 

[LD]

Nobody is picking apart your gemstone Tropic but you have to understand that (a) you get what you pay for and the reason your Tourmaline was cheaper than normal is because it has a window (b) a window is a window - if you look at the gemstone head-on, there's a huge window. If you turn it to the side slightly it will disappear a bit (but all windows do that). Many of us have gemstones with windows. I will happily tell you about some of mine "this one has a huge window"! The colour around the edges of your Tourmaline is very pretty indeed. I'm sure you can enhance the colour in the centre by some clever setting as well. Unfortunately many Paraiba Tourmalines are poorly cut because the emphasis is on size and not beauty

This is just over 4ct and is 11 x 9 x 3.2 (hence the window). It's a stunning colour and glows but the window is huge (bigger than it looks in this picture). This is the one that I'm wanting to re-cut. Unfortunately the window in this one is too large to close with a setting.

 

[T L]

LD,
I don't think that window is so bad and the color really makes up for the window.

That's worth a lot per carat, so if you do cut it, I hope it doesn't reduce the value. I just love that stone, and if it were mine, I would set it as is. I know you can't stand windows though, I just hope you don't lose a lot on the recut.

Tropicgal,
Thank you for the kind words. I don't know the type of inclusion, but it looks like a crack of some sort. I have to get it id'd, but I have seen it in other cuprians before. I just cannot bring myself to recut this stone as bad as the cutting and inclusions across the table are. This stone is even more neon in person, still photos always have a difficult time capturing vivid color. As for the regluar B&M jewelry trade, no one really knows what a tourmaline is, much less a Paraiba tourmaline. PS'ers are a great source of knowledge about colored gems, and we are always floored when we realize how ignorant the general B&M jewelry stores are (not everyone, but more than we care to admit).

 

[RockHugger]

LD, I would not cut that stone either. It has the ideal color.
TL, Same with yours. The inclusions even seem to enhance the color and glow themselves making the window less noticeable. It is a verry pretty stone!

I am having a hell of a time finding a setting to fit my stone. It is a wierd shape, like an enlongated cushion but not long enough to fit the 8x10 but to big to fit the 7x9mm cushion settings.

The stones measurments are 8.64x 7.98mm. It may have to be a custom job. Will LOGR custom make a setting for this?

 

[T L]

Date: 12/6/2009 11:19:19 AM
Author: Tropicgal10
LD, I would not cut that stone either. It has the ideal color.
TL, Same with yours. The inclusions even seem to enhance the color and glow themselves making the window less noticeable. It is a verry pretty stone!

I am having a hell of a time finding a setting to fit my stone. It is a wierd shape, like an enlongated cushion but not long enough to fit the 8x10 but to big to fit the 7x9mm cushion settings.

The stones measurments are 8.64x 7.98mm. It may have to be a custom job. Will LOGR custom make a setting for this?

Thank you Tropicgal,
Yes, just email Stephan on ebay - he''s the LOGR vendor, and tell him your stone measurements, he will give you a quote on any cushion setting you want custom sized for the stone. Tell him you''re a Pricescoper. I think he likes PS''ers.

I would also recommend upgrading the diamonds if a cloudy diamond here and there bugs you. Even with the upgrade, his prices are very good for gold and diamonds.

 

[mochi]

I love that blue color. Very nice.

 

[marcy]

I love the color. Very nice.

 

[packrat]

Ooo I like the color! It reminds me of when JD and I went to the Bahamas (for a whole day

), and being on the beach. What a relaxing color!