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Looking for a Green/Chrome Tourmaline

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fierypyropixy

fierypyropixy

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 10, 2009
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Before I joined PS, I drooled over a certain Leon creation. Green tourmaline emerald cut (or some variation of em cut) surrounded by a beautiful halo of pink sapphire baguettes. It was no surprise that it turned out to be a PS ring. I''m not going to post a pic of the ring out of respect to the owner (or perhaps past owner), but the ring convinced me that I would need to possess an emerald cut green tourmaline. Perhaps chrome, but I haven''t seen a chrome tourmaline in person.

What I want: Nice saturated emerald green color, emerald cut. 4-5 carat area, or something around 12x10 in general.

My problem: When I troll through my list of PS bookmarked vendors, I can''t seem to find any em-cut green tourmalines in the more substantial size I''d want. The only vendor I find who has them to choose from seems to be Paraiba International. BUT, I''ve read PS posts, asked a few of our favorite gemcutters, and there are two camps of about equal size. One side says the price is right, the other camp says they are overpriced. SO. Here''s what I''d like to accomplish with this thread:

ONE: Do you feel that the stone I''m attaching here is overpriced? It is 4.09 carats, 11.7 x 7.5 x 5.4. $920.
(It''s a little smaller than that "ideal price", but this cut looks most preferable before I run out of my budget. And honestly it would probably be enough for me once set.)

TWO: Since you guys are so good at directing others to the perfect stone, if you have seen something similar and cheaper, please direct me to it!

THREE: If there''s none available for immediate sale, please chip in if you know of any of our cutters with ideal rough right now. Even though I''ve purchased my first two stones in a custom manner, for some reason the results for this seem so much more iffy b/c of the dichroism issue. Not to mention I''ve been told the rough in larger sizes is harder to find.

SO, before I give in and just buy it b/c of reason #3 . . . let me know if I''d be paying way too much. Thanks guys!

FPP-PITourmaline.jpg
 
Are you looking for a green tourmaline, or a chrome green tourmaline. Big difference in price. Chrome tourmaline can be 2 to 3 times or more the price of a green tourmaline.
 
Date: 8/28/2009 12:51:09 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
Are you looking for a green tourmaline, or a chrome green tourmaline. Big difference in price. Chrome tourmaline can be 2 to 3 times or more the price of a green tourmaline.
Click to expand...

Hmm, in that case, I''m going to stick with just green.
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I''m fine with the green since it''s what I''ve seen in person. And fits better into the budget constraints and desired size. Thanks, Gene!
 
*bump*

Can anyone else chip in as to whether or not this is what I should expect to pay for this cut and size of a green tourmaline?
 
Based purely on comparison and what I have seen around in the last few months, I would say for just a green tourmaline, you could probably knock quite a few $ off that price tag.
 
A four carat chrome that is not overdark and has good crystal is a rare bird.

Best.
 
Is Chrome Tourmaline a green tourmaline that is certified as having chrome and/or vanadium or is the term used more freely to describe any green tourmaline of a similar colour?
 
Date: 8/29/2009 3:49:55 PM
Author: Richard W. Wise
A four carat chrome that is not overdark and has good crystal is a rare bird.


Best.
Click to expand...

Yes I recall reading that in your book and thank you once again
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These pics may look familiar too

another thread
 
FPP-I know the gorgeous ring you are speaking of, it was fabulous!!!

I have never purchased from africagems.com, but they have a Emerald Cut Chrome Tourmaline 4.58 carats
Regular price: $4,557.00
Sale price: $2,762.00

Tough to tell from the picture what it will look like in person, but an option.

Also, I have purchased 2 chromes from Barry at ACSTONES.com and they have been lovely-if you haven't you may want to contact him to see about rough :)

Good luck, please post pics when you find your stone.
 
A chrome green tourmaline does have chrome in it, and look red under a chelsea filter, where as a normal green tourmaline will look green.
I good chrome green has a very intense color, much stronger than a green tourmaline. Pictures generally can not do a chrome green justice, and they don''t capture the intense color. My understanding is that true chrome green tourmaline only comes from East Africa, Tanzania mainly.
 
Thank you, everyone, for the info and suggestions.

I think chrome tourmaline falls out of my "fun budget", and honestly, if it''s more than my "fun budget", it''s not likely I''d ever be able to save for it. I''m not the frugal type, to my own dismay, believe me!

So . . . I will be sitting and waiting for a normal green tourmaline to come my way. Thanks again!
 
Hi,
I think the stone in question is much closer to a light green or "mint" tourmaline than a chrome. There are a number of mints at: www.paraibainternational.com
 
Just don''t get fooled by sellers calling their stones chrome green and reffering to the color and not the content..you will see certain vendors on certain sites calling just about every green tourmaline "chrome green"
 
Date: 8/30/2009 4:03:30 PM
Author: Harriet
Hi,

I think the stone in question is much closer to a light green or ''mint'' tourmaline than a chrome. There are a number of mints at: www.paraibainternational.com
Click to expand...

That is a good point . . . when I see a lot of "normal" green tourmalines (aka, NOT chrome), they usually do appear to be almost black.

Since this one is from Paraiba Int too, I compared it to their mints when I read your comment (I previously thought of mint as a light pastel and didn''t even give it a glance). . . and they DO seem really close. Since it''s the same vendor, with the same style pics and videos, I wonder what made them deem this a normal green and not specify as a mint. Thanks for pointing that out!
 
fiery-im in 2 chrome tourmaline & have a good pendent of the stuff w/good appraisal-u can get the real thing on ebay from $200.00 to $500.00 per/stone. b sure to ask that the stones change color under a chelsee filter [good chrome content]. the stone u r looking at seems a little high & not good color-a little on the light side-any more ?''s there are lots people who know whatsup-enjoy...
 
Date: 8/28/2009 11:45:01 AM
Author:fierypyropixy
Before I joined PS, I drooled over a certain Leon creation. Green tourmaline emerald cut (or some variation of em cut) surrounded by a beautiful halo of pink sapphire baguettes. It was no surprise that it turned out to be a PS ring. I''m not going to post a pic of the ring out of respect to the owner (or perhaps past owner), but the ring convinced me that I would need to possess an emerald cut green tourmaline. Perhaps chrome, but I haven''t seen a chrome tourmaline in person.

What I want: Nice saturated emerald green color, emerald cut. 4-5 carat area, or something around 12x10 in general.

My problem: When I troll through my list of PS bookmarked vendors, I can''t seem to find any em-cut green tourmalines in the more substantial size I''d want. The only vendor I find who has them to choose from seems to be Paraiba International. BUT, I''ve read PS posts, asked a few of our favorite gemcutters, and there are two camps of about equal size. One side says the price is right, the other camp says they are overpriced. SO. Here''s what I''d like to accomplish with this thread:

ONE: Do you feel that the stone I''m attaching here is overpriced? It is 4.09 carats, 11.7 x 7.5 x 5.4. $920.
(It''s a little smaller than that ''ideal price'', but this cut looks most preferable before I run out of my budget. And honestly it would probably be enough for me once set.)

TWO: Since you guys are so good at directing others to the perfect stone, if you have seen something similar and cheaper, please direct me to it!

THREE: If there''s none available for immediate sale, please chip in if you know of any of our cutters with ideal rough right now. Even though I''ve purchased my first two stones in a custom manner, for some reason the results for this seem so much more iffy b/c of the dichroism issue. Not to mention I''ve been told the rough in larger sizes is harder to find.

SO, before I give in and just buy it b/c of reason #3 . . . let me know if I''d be paying way too much. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
i''d love to see this ring, it sounds gorgeous, can you at least post the link to the thread with photos of it, so i can see? please? i''ll try again to search for it myself... i''d love to see a picture of the difference between a normal green and a chrome green tourmaline too... with the red, it sounds awesome
 
Date: 8/30/2009 11:46:54 PM
Author: trishy

Date: 8/28/2009 11:45:01 AM
Author:fierypyropixy
Before I joined PS, I drooled over a certain Leon creation. Green tourmaline emerald cut (or some variation of em cut) surrounded by a beautiful halo of pink sapphire baguettes. It was no surprise that it turned out to be a PS ring. I''m not going to post a pic of the ring out of respect to the owner (or perhaps past owner), but the ring convinced me that I would need to possess an emerald cut green tourmaline. Perhaps chrome, but I haven''t seen a chrome tourmaline in person.

What I want: Nice saturated emerald green color, emerald cut. 4-5 carat area, or something around 12x10 in general.

My problem: When I troll through my list of PS bookmarked vendors, I can''t seem to find any em-cut green tourmalines in the more substantial size I''d want. The only vendor I find who has them to choose from seems to be Paraiba International. BUT, I''ve read PS posts, asked a few of our favorite gemcutters, and there are two camps of about equal size. One side says the price is right, the other camp says they are overpriced. SO. Here''s what I''d like to accomplish with this thread:

ONE: Do you feel that the stone I''m attaching here is overpriced? It is 4.09 carats, 11.7 x 7.5 x 5.4. $920.
(It''s a little smaller than that ''ideal price'', but this cut looks most preferable before I run out of my budget. And honestly it would probably be enough for me once set.)

TWO: Since you guys are so good at directing others to the perfect stone, if you have seen something similar and cheaper, please direct me to it!

THREE: If there''s none available for immediate sale, please chip in if you know of any of our cutters with ideal rough right now. Even though I''ve purchased my first two stones in a custom manner, for some reason the results for this seem so much more iffy b/c of the dichroism issue. Not to mention I''ve been told the rough in larger sizes is harder to find.

SO, before I give in and just buy it b/c of reason #3 . . . let me know if I''d be paying way too much. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
i''d love to see this ring, it sounds gorgeous, can you at least post the link to the thread with photos of it, so i can see? please? i''ll try again to search for it myself... i''d love to see a picture of the difference between a normal green and a chrome green tourmaline too... with the red, it sounds awesome
Click to expand...
trishy-here is a pic of chrome tourmaline in pendent-a little over 20 cts & pretty good examples of the material...

ms09.JPG
 
A good chrome tourmaline is very expensive and does not come in large sizes. The colour is deeper, purer and is colour by chrome than regular green tourmaline. This can be verified by viewing it through a Chelsea filter where it should glow red. When looking for a large stone, one has to be cognizant not to get a dark toned stone otherwise it will appear almost black and look unattractive.
 
I think I know the Leon ring you''re talking about and she posted a bunch of pictures of it on PS and when she acquired the stone. That stone was also from Paraiba International. However, it was not a pure green tourmaline, but a blue/green tourmaline of very fine quality. Are you sure you want a pure green tourmaline, or one with a bluish green color?
 
Chrome tourmalines are very lovely if not overly saturated; but they can come from Brazil, Madagascar, and most of the east African countries. I have seen blue and yellow chrome tourmalines as the gem will have blue and yellow modifiers that will shift the colors; I had a Brazilian at one time that was a pure indicolite and in a tray; the only reason I found it was I was scanning the tray with a chelsea filter and saw red; and I was amazed it was the 1.5 carat square cushion that was blue; it was a true red in the filter showing a rather significant amount of chrome.
Also there was some chrome tourmalines from Tanzania that was rich green on the A B axis and strong red on the C axis; now talk about a red gem under the filter; it was like the finest Burma pigeon blood ruby... And if you cut it in a brilliant round you could get it to alternate red and green on the break facets of the crown; kind of like the Brazilian andalusite; neat stuff...
Chrome tourmaline is a neat little creature; it is a shame that most when they get over 4 carats seem to get a little on the dark side.
I guess that is why they demand a higher price is that they are so much more rare than standard green and when they do get large most will darken to the point they look like ... well a dark green tourmaline
26.gif


If you can get one in the shade of a medium tsavorite garnet now that is what I consider a fine green chrome tourmline; they can be found you just have to do a lot of looking. Just my opinion as I like that color green
18.gif


But in all reality chrome tourmaline comes in several colors; green was just the first one discovered and sometimes was mistaken in the field for emerald and tsavorite...

It is all about the journey of finding what your eye really likes...
 
Date: 9/1/2009 6:59:56 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I think I know the Leon ring you're talking about and she posted a bunch of pictures of it on PS and when she acquired the stone. That stone was also from Paraiba International. However, it was not a pure green tourmaline, but a blue/green tourmaline of very fine quality. Are you sure you want a pure green tourmaline, or one with a bluish green color?
Click to expand...

Right -- hers was a blue-green, but I've seen the blue-greens in person and they don't move me . . . so it's more like . . this is my interpretation of that ring I envied. If that makes sense. OR, rather, that it was an inspiration . . . blahblahblah. LOL. Just plain green, not chrome, maybe as someone pointed out earlier about Paraiba Int's minty tourmalines, maybe a dark minty.

But, honestly . . . I had quite a spending spree this weekend, of some other gems . . . and purses, and clothing
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. . . and there went my green tourmaline funds . . . so for the immediate future my green tourmaline quest is taking a backseat.

Trishy - the ring is on Leon's site here: Tourmaline Ring. If anyone thinks that's out of line, I'll take down the link.
 
I don''t know which blue green tourmalines you''ve seen in person, but I''ve seen some that were blah, and some that were nice, and some that were positively yummy, like the one in the Leon setting. I wouldn''t rule them out, but the good ones are hard to come by and can be very expensive. With green tourmaline, and blue green tourmaline, you need to be careful of too much extinction (looking overly dark) and too much grey. Otherwise, they are positively beautiful IMO. Unfortunately, it is getting more and more difficult to come by high quality green and blue/green tourmaline. If you''re stuck on a pure green, it''s hard to find them in nicer qualities and the chrome greens are also very expensive.

Good luck on your quest for the perfect green tourmaline.
 
Date: 9/1/2009 7:54:58 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
I don''t know which blue green tourmalines you''ve seen in person, but I''ve seen some that were blah, and some that were nice, and some that were positively yummy, like the one in the Leon setting. I wouldn''t rule them out, but the good ones are hard to come by and can be very expensive. With green tourmaline, and blue green tourmaline, you need to be careful of too much extinction (looking overly dark) and too much grey. Otherwise, they are positively beautiful IMO. Unfortunately, it is getting more and more difficult to come by high quality green and blue/green tourmaline. If you''re stuck on a pure green, it''s hard to find them in nicer qualities and the chrome greens are also very expensive.


Good luck on your quest for the perfect green tourmaline.
Click to expand...

You''ve got a good point . . . the blue-greens I''ve seen were on the teal to more blue side, and . . . eh, I guess I suffered through one too many 80''s weddings that used teal as their main color. I was just a flower girl age, but it still haunts me. LOL Those were just local little stones though . . . I''m looking at PI now and see that a beautiful 16+ carat emerald cut that they''re calling blue-green doesn''t really appear all that blue on screen . . . so . . . oh, who knows. Thanks for the good wishes, maybe I get too stressed out about the search and need to just wait.
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Fireypyropixy,
I have seen a match of the stone in question. It''s less blue than it appears online. As for blue in a tourmaline, I wouldn''t discount it. Blue tourmalines, aka indicolites, are few and far between.
P.S. Your pup''s adorable.
 
Date: 9/1/2009 9:39:17 PM
Author: Harriet
Fireypyropixy,

I have seen a match of the stone in question. It's less blue than it appears online. As for blue in a tourmaline, I wouldn't discount it. Blue tourmalines, aka indicolites, are few and far between.

P.S. Your pup's adorable.
Click to expand...

Hehe, thanks
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I bet it was stunning! The tourmaline will have to wait a bit at this point . . . here's hoping that either this one, or an even more "perfect" one, is still available in a few months . . . perhaps I can campaign for a tourmaline Christmas.
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Plenty to learn between now and then!
 
Date: 9/4/2009 10:14:54 PM
Author: D&T
hey, i was looking for a gem for someone else, and I ran across this, and thought of you! its HUGE!
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but it might be a bit dark? not sure what your thoughts are though.


http://www.diamondexpert.com/diamonds/dbs.cgi?sf=detg.setup.cgi&active=active&stock=TM00634&submit_search=1


ETA: but i see you are looking for an emerald cut
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so disregard this...lol
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Oh, thank you! I had to laugh b/c of the "saw this and thought of you b/c it''s HUGE" . . . I''m getting a reputation!
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I like this tourmaline! It''s very interesting, I''m going to think about it.
 
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