Keep it or send it back - Afghan tourmaline

[T L]

It may be a little too dark for my taste in tourmalines? It''s a teal green, but sometimes it looks a little more of a steel blue depending on the lighting. Here it is next to my Mozambique curprian in the ring.

 

[neatfreak]

More pics? From that one the color isn''t fab...but might just be the picture...

 

[T L]

Another pic in dim incandescent light. I need to see it in the sunshine I guess.

 

[T L]

Another

 

[T L]

Another next to Mozambique cuprian. I need honest opinions. I'll take some pics of it in a setting.

 

[T L]

in a white gold setting (not meant for the stone, but just to give an idea).

 

[T L]

The camera keeps casting a shadow on the stone, but it sparkles quite a bit due to the excellent cutting. My only contention is the darkness of the stone, and the color is dull next to my cuprian.

 

[T L]

Well I guess silence speaks volumes.

 

[Inanna]

It definitely doesn't look as bright & vibrant in your pictures as it did on the website (Fine Water Gems, right?), however I still love the cut and shape of this stone. I would probably keep it, hoping the right setting would really bring it to life.

ETA: Can you post a picture of the stone in sunlight?

 

[cushioncutnut]

I love your Mozambique cuprian... that said I think it is hard for that stone to compete with it. I do think it is a pretty stone.....if it is inexpensive and not worth the hassle of sending it back... keep it.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 12/5/2008 9:02:22 AM
Author: cushioncutnut
I love your Mozambique cuprian... that said I think it is hard for that stone to compete with it. I do think it is a pretty stone.....if it is inexpensive and not worth the hassle of sending it back... keep it.

Ditto.

I love the cut on it though! I think maybe it just needs a good setting to make it shine?

 

[T L]

Standing by a window with morning sunlight popping through.

My thing with tourmaline is that it should look good in all lighting, however, I know that''s rare with tourmaline. I think indoors and under incandescents, it takes on a slight olive component to the color. I do not like olive greens - although I know many people do. It is very nicely cut though.

 

[T L]

Date: 12/5/2008 9:18:12 AM
Author: geckodani

Date: 12/5/2008 9:02:22 AM
Author: cushioncutnut
I love your Mozambique cuprian... that said I think it is hard for that stone to compete with it. I do think it is a pretty stone.....if it is inexpensive and not worth the hassle of sending it back... keep it.

Ditto.

I love the cut on it though! I think maybe it just needs a good setting to make it shine?

Here''s a true mint tourmaline without any olive component as a basis for comparison. It''s lighter in saturation, but it looks nice in all lighting situations.

 

[ma re]

I have sort of a rule, not just when it comes to jewellery - if I ask the question from your subject, the answer is negative. That keeps me from collecting...clutter.

 

[T L]

sorry forgot to attach comparison tourmaline (maybe I just like the lighter colors??).

 

[cushioncutnut]

That is very pretty. Is that the color that you desired for this stone? On my monitor the stone your questioning comes through as a true green tourmaline. I don''t see blue or teal.......

 

[mochi]

I tend to like the darker color so I think that tourmaline is very nice green. The cut is very pretty. Do you have a setting in mind for this stone? Will it make the stone darker?

Maybe you''re more into lighter colored stone.

 

[T L]

Date: 12/5/2008 9:36:17 AM
Author: cushioncutnut
That is very pretty. Is that the color that you desired for this stone? On my monitor the stone your questioning comes through as a true green tourmaline. I don''t see blue or teal.......

It was advertised as teal green mint tourmaline I believe. The pear is the comparison stone that is already part of my permanent collection. I consider that a true mint tourmaline, but I know it is a lighter saturation. I guess it''s pretty, but it wasn''t inexpensive (IMO) for a one carat green tourmaline, so I''m questioning whether I should keep it or not. For that price, I would tend to like a bit more minty blue. I don''t know.

 

[cushioncutnut]

I do love the cut and like I said it, appears more green on my monitor. If you say it has olive tones in it....and not the minty/teal tones that you were hoping for, I think it is safe to say send it back. The fact that your on the fence may help you make your decision.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 12/5/2008 10:52:08 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
For that price, I would tend to like a bit more minty blue. I don''t know.

I think you have your answer. Like Diamondseeker''s "When in doubt, don''t."

Seeing it next to your dazzling cuprian tourmaline emphasizes the yellow in the stone.

I''d send it back and wait for that minty blue you really want.

 

[LD]

Ok, a very honest opinion .......... love the cut BUT the colour lets it down. I can see grey tones and it looks "flat" in comparison to your other lovely tourmalines. I collect them as well and agree that they need to sparkle in all lights. I think if it were me, I''d send it back and use the money towards something that rocks my world. In the early days I bought (and kept) so many gemstones that didn''t bowl me over and in hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. My only other suggestion is to keep it for a few days so you can see it in all lights and maybe the decision will be easier either way.

 

[T L]

LD,
You''re echoing my feelings exactly. I sent it back.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I little late, but I have to say I agree with the above. Great shape, and great cut - and the stone has great potential in the right setting. But compaired to your other stone, it is missing that "punch" of green.

 

[beaujolais]

Well, it was nice. But, I see you already sent it back, so I'm late here. I wanted to respond last night but had no time. Sometimes people are looking for a quieter color so depends on your tastes and what works for you. So sorry it didn't work out for you. That's internet buying, though.

---

Now, Tourmaline - what did you think of this ACS:

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=141&idproduct=2577

I adore hunter green but don't like round stones much. Did you like that one?

 

[chrono]

That stone doesn''t appear lively in your picture and looks to have a hint of gray-ish mask? But maybe the lighting is poor?

I''ve now developed a penchant for neon stones - I just purchased a very unusual tsavorite where it isn''t the usual green but is a very bright neon green. It just caught my eye much more than the traditional deep green that the Trade loves. Maybe that''s what you should look for?

 

[T L]

Date: 12/5/2008 8:29:01 PM
Author: sonomacounty
Well, it was nice. But, I see you already sent it back, so I'm late here. I wanted to respond last night but had no time. Sometimes people are looking for a quieter color so depends on your tastes and what works for you. So sorry it didn't work out for you. That's internet buying, though.

---

Now, Tourmaline - what did you think of this ACS:

http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=141&idproduct=2577

I adore hunter green but don't like round stones much. Did you like that one?

It's too dark for me. I also have a secondary hue color methodology I go by when purchasing when colored stones. This is my taste, and does not necessarily mean that you have the same taste. You may like these secondary hues. If a stone has a primary hue of red/pink, I try to avoid brown secondary hues in the stone. If the primary hue is blue, I try to avoid grey secondary hues. If the primary hue is green, I try to avoid an olive secondary hue. I totally avoid yellow as a primary color unless it's a diamond. I'm not a lover of yellow stones, but I know many people adore them.

The above stone appears to have a slight secondary olive hue to me, and it's way too dark for my tastes. However, that does not mean that it's not someone else's taste. To someone else, that might be a very attractive stone. With tourmaline, I tend to go for lighter stones since they are so easily prone to extinction. What is very rare with tourmaline, at least in my experience, is to find a well saturated stone that holds it's color in all lighting without extinction or dulling hues. In other words, it's bright and lively whether it's indoors or outside. The finest paraiba tourmalines are such stones and command a very high price as a result. I just ordered a small rubellite on ebay. I'm hoping it will be such a stone. We'll see. I seem to have my best luck with ebay as far as finding colored gems. Go figure??!

 

[T L]

Date: 12/5/2008 9:11:00 PM
Author: Chrono
That stone doesn't appear lively in your picture and looks to have a hint of gray-ish mask? But maybe the lighting is poor?

I've now developed a penchant for neon stones - I just purchased a very unusual tsavorite where it isn't the usual green but is a very bright neon green. It just caught my eye much more than the traditional deep green that the Trade loves. Maybe that's what you should look for?

You pretty much hit the nail on the head on what I like. Gem afficianados tend to call certain stones "neon," but I think what that means is that the color is very bright without dulling secondary hues. Chrono, I wish you would get a digital camera one of these days and take pics of your collection for all of us to enjoy. I bet it's all museum quality, you have such superb taste in not just color, but cutting as well.

ETA: Thanks to everyone for their honest opinions of the stone. I greatly appreciate it!

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks for the commentary on that tourmaline, Tourmaline. I learned a lot from what you said.

--- It''s too dark for me. ---

I could see how one could say that. However, I Love dark green, as long as it didn''t have extinction and did have some lighter flashes, it could work for me.

-- I''m not a lover of yellow stones, but I know many people adore them. ---

Somehow, I just can''t get my mind around yellow stones, either.

--- The above stone appears to have a slight secondary olive hue to me, and it''s way too dark for my tastes.---

Oh, I love olive.

--- I tend to go for lighter stones since they are so easily prone to extinction.---

Didn''t know that. Now I do, thanks.

Yes, e-bay CAN be Great. The antique cushion in my avitar, that I''m madly in love with, came from e-bay.

Question: Is tourmaline often cut into scissor topped cuts or step to show off its dichroism?

 

[T L]

SonomaCounty,
I think tourmalines are cut into elongated cuts, including a scissors cut, because the crystal structure grows that way, and it reduces loss of carat weight. A cutter would be able to tell you more about that however. Usually allivial deposits that look like pebbles are cut into different shapes.

You have to be careful with some tourmalines because they can tend to be very dark along one axis of crystal growth and very bright along the other. A good cutter will take advantage of the best axis along which the stone should face up. Tourmalines are often murky and full of extinction, kind of like many spinels. Therefore, when I look for a tourmaline, I do stray away from dark stones because of this. Likewise, you might find a dark green emerald, but it will glow because emeralds, to my knowledge, do not often show extinction, even darker ones.

However, the reason I do love tourmalines so much is that they come in every color of the rainbow, and there's so much variety. It's such a fascinating mineral species, and I also like the fact that it is not synthesized or treated beyond heat treatment. It's easy to find nice tourmalines on ebay because of the relative light treatment, and most are untreated as well. You just have to be careful for sellers trying to knock off coated topaz as tourmaline.

BTW, I love your diamond. All my fancy colored diamonds came from ebay in my collection.

 

[T L]

Here''s another minty tourmaline sitting in an unmounted setting, but more blue than green. It''s medium-light in saturation, but no extinction whatsoever. I think with some tourmaline you often have to give up saturation to give up extinction, but there are those rare stones where you can have both saturation and no extinction.