More Mozambique Paraibas

[chrono]

Twodoor2,
It''s all your fault!

Now, I''m also shopping around for a Paraiba tourmaline. Pictures are coming soon (maybe even as early as tomorrow). It''s a 1.08ct pear shaped stone with medium saturation and very vivid intense colour. It has the traditional pear proportions, nearly eyeclean and has NO windows. Yay! I can''t wait for the vendor to get back to me.

 

[Linda W]

Can''t wait to see the pictures.

Linda

 

[twodoor2]

Me too!! We should have a paraiba party. Can''t wait to see it, is it blue, blue-green, green?

Congratulations on your new baby!!

 

[chrono]

I''m still shopping around. There''s 3 that are blue, and 3 that are blueish green. The shapes range from rounds, to pears to trillions. The sizes are from around 0.4 ct up to 1.5 ct. I can''t make up my mind.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Well at least you''ve decided what stone you want to buy! No worries I''m sure you''ll make up your mind very soon.

 

[twodoor2]

That''s why we''re here!!! Get pictures and show everyone so we can help you with your ultimate decision, and if you don''t want us to help you, we at least want to see the pictures!!

I know what you''re going through, I was just offered to buy an 8 ct paraiba with very little green in it. The dealer told me it was a santa maria aqua blue, but neon. Now I just couldn''t picture a totally blue neon stone. I saw the pictures, but it was very hard to see the neon in it. To me, it looked like an aquamarine, albeit a gorgeous one. I like a touch bit of green, I think it adds to the neon glow, but you don''t want it to look too green (the green paraibas are not as valuable), unless that''s your personal preference. I think Richard Wise, in his book, "Secrets of the Gemstone Trade," states that the best paraibas are such x% blue and y% green, but I forget the x and the y values. I decided not to get the stone because I just wasn''t sure I wanted something that looked too closely to an aquamarine. Don''t get me wrong, aquas are beautiful stones, I have several gorgeous ones, but if I want an aqua, I''ll buy an aqua. It was a gorgeous stone, pear cut, and very saturated, but it just didn''t speak to me. Maybe I made a huge mistake, but when I told the dealer I didn''t want a stone that looked like an aquamarine, he came back at me, with "ok." Now whenever I buy these stones, one of my questions is, "does it look like, or can it pass for, an aquamarine or blue topaz?"

My new octagon cut stone that I posted pictures of is blue, when people see it, they say it''s blue, but it''s really a blue/green (I think it''s 80% blue and 20% green if I had to judge). Compare it to some aquamarines (100% blue) and you can tell the difference. Color is a speculative thing, but it''s the most important thing when considering a colored gemstone.

Good luck on your choice!!

 

[chrono]

Okay, I''ve got the picture which I will post shortly. It is greener than I thought and doesn''t quite look as neon-y as I expected. I am giving the benefit of the doubt to the vendor that his picture quality isn''t that great so I''m having him send it to me for review. If I don''t like it, I''ll just be out the shipping cost. I think I plan to get at least 2 stones of which one MUST be of the blue variety.

 

[twodoor2]

It''s sometimes difficult to capture the "neon" in photographs, but the cutting looks superb. May I ask where the stone hails from? Brazil, Mozambique or Nigeria? If you rather not say, that''s okay.

Thanks for sharing!!

 

[chrono]

It''s a Mozambique stone. I decided to shy away from the Nigerian since I heard that most Nigerian cuprites don''t have as comparable a "pop" as the Mozambique stones. Of course, I can''t afford a good quality Brazilian.

Well, I did get a deal on 2 unheated Brazilian stones. The cutter didn''t want to risk heating them and I don''t think he has the kiln for heating anyway (he only deals with nontreated rough). Plus he bought the parcel from a supplier who didn''t know they were cuprites - both of them thought they were ordinary tourmalines until after they were cut.

 

[gemnut]

Now you two have got me looking at Paraibas and I can''t afford even a Ngerian stone right now!!

 

[twodoor2]

That''s a good thing you stood away from the Nigerian material. My dealer friend told me that he never buys Nigerian anymore because none of the stuff coming out of the ground has copper in it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous dealers that are still touting Nigerian seafoam green, or blue tourmaline, as paraiba. I had one dealer send me a Nigerian stone, he didn''t claim it had copper, but he said he was probably sure it did. He was an honest seller with a very good reputation among gemstone purists, so I took a chance. I sent it back, it looked like an ordinary colored aquamarine.

I can''t wait till you get your stone in person, please let us know what you think of it. I think the cutting is superb for a Moz stone, most of them are native cut and poorly done.

 

[chrono]

Twodoor2,
I share your opinion. I don't want to just buy the paper, I want to buy the look. I tell you I had a really hard time trying to decide which one to get. All 3 are gorgeous.

Gemnut,
If you go top-of-the-line, yeah they are pricey. Otherwise, it isn't all that bad (comparatively speaking). My only concern is it's hard to find an honest and reputable vendor to buy these from.

ETA,
For some weird reason, my eye keeps getting drawn to the light green trilliant on the left. It is the smallest of the bunch, and a shape I am not attracted to yet I can't stop looking at it. Maybe I should have the vendor send it to me for a look-see too?

 

[widget]

Those are cool, Chrono! They look ''glowy'' to me!

Did the vendor mention if they ''pop''?


widget

 

[chrono]

Hi Widget,
The vendor said the best of the group is the center pear: the saturation is stronger and the stone is more intense, in his own words, "a true neon stone".

 

[widget]

That sounds promising!

These guys really do have an other-worldly look, don''t they?

Twodoor....I can''t wait to hear how you decide to mount your latest!!


widget

 

[chrono]

A little sidetrack here:
Widget, I had a few questions for your in my Gemstone Photoshop thread about ear wires. Do you mind taking a peek? TIA

 

[twodoor2]

I like the center pear the best myself. Another thing to ask, if the vendor would do it, is to take a picture of the stones facing down, so you see the cutlet side. It''s a good way to gage saturation of color.

 

[chrono]

I had been talking to a vendor about a cute little round blue Moz tourmaline all last week only to find out it got sold this weekend. I am so depressed.

I thought he would hold the stone for me while we are under discussion but I guess not. I''m going to me moping all weekend.

 

[twodoor2]

Don''t feel bad, I missed out on buying this. I would have purchased it, but another lady got to it first. Rotten lady!!

 

[chrono]

That''s a great coloured paraiba. Wow, I''d be pissed too. If I ever see my little blue Moz here on PS, I''ll curse the poster out everyday.

My pear Moz is slated to arrive on Monday. Oh goodie.

 

[twodoor2]

It looked like blue kryptonite, it was gorgeous, and I get to see pictures of it in the ring he''s making for her

My friend, the dealer that sells me some of my best paraiba and of that stone, told me his website would be up in a few days - it''s been a few days and I''m still waiting!!!

Do you have a pic of the blue stone, maybe he has something similar. His prices are very very reasonable. That blue stone was affordable to most, it was only 2.75 carats. You can get certs for your stones from GIT through him.

 

[chrono]

It arrived on Saturday.

This thing is NEON. I could see it glow through all the bubble wrap. The hue is what I would call slightly bluish green. Saturation is medium, tone is light medium. Overall, it is a very pleasing stone and the cut looks very good. The tourmaline seems to be lit up from the inside - it looks exactly like a green traffic light. It makes Pinkie look dull (Shhh...I hope Pinkie didn't hear that - she's now back in her case while Moz is in the temporary ring holder). I am surprised at how the photographs did not capture the neon at all.

 

[twodoor2]

That''s wonderful, please post pictures!!! I hated to say it, but the pictures that the vendor sent you did not show that much neon, or blue color. I''m thrilled you''re pleased with your stone, and please post pictures!!

 

[chrono]

After a couple of days, I am still not 100% sure about the stone. It is neon but the stones sometimes appears washed out, especially under stronger light conditions. When in low lights, the it''s a strong bright bluish green. When the light source is stronger, it appears minty green. Hmm, I have to think about this more...

 

[twodoor2]

Can we have pictures in different lighting settings? A good paraiba should glow in all lighting conditions, but again, it's personal preference. If it looks like it can be confused with a beryl or an aquamarine, I would pass on it.

What does it look like in sunlight? If it's not neon in sunlight, but only neon in incandescent light, I would think it's not a strong neon. That's my own personal observation of these stones, some might beg to differ with me though (especially a gemologist).

 

[chrono]

Um, no digicam = no pics. Sorry...

It''s a little difficult to describe but you''ve got the gist of it. It''s neon and medium bluish green in shaded indirect sunlight and incandescent light. When under strong indirect sunlight, the colour is still neon but more washed out - it appears minty neon. No one will mistake it for an aqua or beryl because it still glows. I am thinking the Paraiba should be able to retain most of its saturation under various conditions. Am I expecting too much?

 

[twodoor2]

There are many factors. If you want strong neon, exceptional color and saturation, perfect cutting, perfect clarity, expect to pay $2000/ct wholesale for stones under 2 carats, and above that, $5000 wholesale (now you''re talking Palagems). If you are willing to forsake clarity, cutting, for neon color, you can save quite a bit of money off of those huge pricetags.

That''s how I buy since I know what my budget is. I just cannot forsake clarity or cutting for color and neon. If it has a bit of a window, or if it''s not the cleanest stone, but as long as the clarity is not eye distracting, I can pay $300/ct for some very very neon stones. Now your stone is very well cut, and has from what I can see, perfect clarity, so maybe it won''t be as neon, and that''s what you''re probably sacraficing to get in your price range. However, as far as I''m concerned, I wouldn''t sacrafice the neon component for any other factor. I much rather have an included, poorly cut stone that is incredibly neon, than a stone with perfect cutting and clarity, but is not neon, but that''s just me. You may be different. I just think the neon component is the most important because that''s what capitulated these stones to fame when they were first discovered in Brazil. Even Tiffany & Co. is selling paraiba stones with windows because they know that the neon component is far more desirable.

The most important thing is when you first look at the stone, does it "speak to you?" If not, then it''s probably not meant to be. It sounds like you like the stone, but you''re not blown away with it. Believe me, I love a perfectly cut and clean stone as much as the next person, but when I saw how neon these stones could be, I didn''t care anymore about cutting and clarity in regards to these tourmalines.

However, if I were buying an aquamarine, amethyst, or another type of tourmaline, I would insist on perfect clarity and cutting.

 

[twodoor2]

Here''s a picture of a stone my dealer friend sent me, as you can see, the cutting is far from perfect and there are eye visible inclusions, but what do you notice the most???? A picture speaks a thousand words.

 

[chrono]

Date: 6/26/2007 2:45:12 PM
Author: twodoor2
Here's a picture of a stone my dealer friend sent me, as you can see, the cutting is far from perfect and there are eye visible inclusions, but what do you notice the most???? A picture speaks a thousand words.

I see a window...? Windows drive me crazy, no matter how super the colour or how tiny the window might be, I just can't handle a window.

I'm sorry...

Thanks for the reminder that the stone is judged based on its neon-ness. That's how it got its Paraiba name. I guess I just have expensive tastes.

I want eye clean, good sharp cutting, bright neon AND good saturation. I'm not asking for a lot, right?

Yes, I like the pear, was very impressed when I first opened the box, but am no longer blown away. Given the price tag, I suppose it was a fair price since the saturation is on the light side. I'm thinking of returning it and putting the money towards a paraiba that is bluer and more neon.

Another cutter just popped a purple one in the oven for me over the past weekend. It's a 2 ct trilliant and at first he was worried about the stone not making it since it had veils. Luckily, it came out fine. It's Windex blue and eye clean (the excellent cutting masks most of the veils so you can only find them if you look really closely). I've bought it and will receive it sometime next week. I think that one will be a keeper because it meets all my requirements of cut, clarity, blue colour and saturation. I'm also paying more for it too.

I still have one last source; a 3rd cutter promised to bake one but hasn't given me a time frame yet since he blew a resistor or something in his kiln.

 

[twodoor2]

Chrono,
I know how much you hate windows

, so I hope the other stones meet your credentials. If you get a super neon well cut windex blue stone, that would be awesome

. The only other thing you then need to get is a digicam so we can see pictures and share the joy (or at least post pictures of what the cutter sends you). I praise you for doing your research and insisting on what makes you 100% happy.

Twodoor2