Need help with pink tourmalines

[icy_jade]

Are they pink tourmalines or rubellite? Whatever they are, I stumbled on these recently and was quite smitten:


Tray of pinks:



Out of the lot, there were two that particularly caught my eye:





Close up to show inclusion (upper right corner in this pic):


Comparing with mahenge spinels and rubellite

under strong white light


Comparing how pink they are vs the mahenge spinel:



I have a hard time getting accurate pics of them so quick descriptions of each:


Cushion:

• Native cut cushion, slight window which should reduce with setting
• 7.8 ct
• One visible inclusion on the top of the stone
• Has that neon sheen in certain lighting, cutting isn’t as good, more extinction and less sparkly
• More saturated/redder of the two stones

Round:

• Native cut round, slight window which should reduce with setting
• 5.3 ct
• No eye visible inclusion
• Is more sparkly of the two, and better cutting, so goes flat less often
• More true pink of the two stones

Both are the same per carat price but of course the cushion costs more as it’s bigger/heavier.

The vendor suggested the cushion as he felt that is the better of the two given the more saturated color. But it does have a visible inclusion so he suggest the round if I mind the inclusion.

Honestly I like both and just can’t decide. Ultimately I don’t think my pics are accurately capturing the color but I can’t do better despite taking dozens of pics.

So what do you think?

 

[chroman]

I don’t thing there’s a wrong answer


I’d leaning cushion at the moment for the color and my love of cusions.

But round tourmalines aren’t that common so I’m also drawn to that one. The color is still great, and better cutting..

 

[icy_jade]

I don’t thing there’s a wrong answer


I’d leaning cushion at the moment for the color and my love of cusions.

But round tourmalines aren’t that common so I’m also drawn to that one. The color is still great, and better cutting..

Thank you! Yes exactly same as you described.

Also went back to look at pics I posted and realized that the cushion’s inclusion maybe doesn’t look so bad in the photos but is visible irl, but rubellites is a type 3 stone right?

There is also the question of whether I really need another pink stone (or two)... when I already have 2 pink rings...

 

[chrono]

I picked cushion but if there's concern about the inclusion, then hold off both and keep looking. The round doesn't sing to me.

 

[T L]

I’d go with the cushion. It’s a better value, and the inclusion doesn’t bother me.

 

[lovedogs]

I prefer the cushion

 

[Tartansparkles]

The cushion - the colour

 

[asterismdispersion]

To me, the color of the cushion is more pleasant and pops, even if the round has better light return and clarity. If the inclusion bothers you too much in person, though, then I'd keep looking.

 

[icy_jade]

Thanks everyone! Cushion thanks to be winning I guess thanks to the saturated reddish-pink color? I keep staring at both stones everytime I walk past the table that they are on...

Is approx USD200/carat a fair price?

 

[dk168]

The cushion gets my vote.

DK

 

[icy_jade]

So the eye visible inclusion is not considered a major issue for the cushion?

 

[dk168]

So the eye visible inclusion is not considered a major issue for the cushion?

For that gorgeous colour, I would be prepared to accept a tiny amount of eye-visible inclusions.

DK

 

[voce]

Considering what you already have (Mahenge spinel cushion and ovals), I'd pick the round. Personally there's nothing that would make me pick a tourmaline over such nice spinels unless the color or shape was different enough.

 

[icy_jade]

Personally there's nothing that would make me pick a tourmaline over such nice spinels unless the color or shape was different enough.

Setting... to me they all turn out looking quite different depending on the setting. Plus the larger size helps in standing out

 

[voce]

Setting... to me they all turn out looking quite different depending on the setting. Plus the larger size helps in standing out

That's true, if that's how you feel about it. Looking at just the two tourmalines by themselves, the color is definitely nicer on the cushion. However, the inclusion, which you mention is on the top of the stone, gives me pause. Is it more of a chip that's more like a missing chunk or an inclusion that extends deeper into the stone? While the larger size helps in having the CS stand out, it's also true that the larger size contributes to a greater height and greater probability someone like me could accidentally knock the stone in a ring (assuming you are planning to set in a ring). If I accidentally knock the stone near the inclusion site, would the inclusion cause the stone to chip or crack? Even if such a thing never happened, I'd feel much safer wearing the spinel than the tourmaline just because of the superior durability, even aside from aesthetics.
Edit: From your pictures, it doesn't look like the inclusion is that bad. Take what I say with a grain of salt, because I just prefer your Mahenge spinel and honestly would reach for that one over the tourmaline every time if I had both set in different rings.

 

[Adam95]

Yes, the cushion is more included, but it's not like the round is flawless, not even close. Neither of them has problematic inclusions, but the cushion is a much better bang for your buck.

 

[icy_jade]

Ok, I decided not to get either and returned them to the vendor yesterday. I think he already had a buyer waiting for the cushion so felt a bit less guilty about returning it.

Really liked them but still had my moments of doubt and I felt like I should not have any doubts if I was going to sink thousands of dollars into the stone and setting.

Thanks everyone for weighing in!