No-o, I won''t see a difference. The only way I can see a difference in your photo is because you mentioned Paraiba being windowed.Date: 2/2/2010 6:20:28 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
You guys really make me giggle!
It''s NOT an investment - trust me! Yes, I could sell this particular one for probably 10 times the purchase price (which was very low) - on the right day to the right buyer BUT if the market were to be flooded with neon, clean Paraiba Tourmalines tomorrow, or another find with exceptionally wonderful gemstones came on the market, it wouldn''t be an investment as I would probably only recoup what I''d paid (perhaps more). The market is sooooooo fickle and moves up and down constantly. I never ever buy for investment. I buy for the love of the gemstone.Date: 2/1/2010 7:46:59 PM
Author: crasru
Date: 2/1/2010 2:59:42 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
No you''re thinking of my certified 18.34ct pendant - which also needs a recut and also has a wndow!This one?
18.35? I think I read yesterday that gems are not an investment? Even with a window, it is a straight candidate for Sotheby''s. Or, if Sotheby''s reject it for some reason, Christie would grab this.
By the way, in answer to your question about whether to buy off Ebay? I doubt very very much whether you''ll find a true neon PT on there. You''ll find nicely coloured (occasionally well saturated) Curprite Tourmalines but whether any of them would achieve the Paraiba title is debatable. Everybody thinks they have a PT and that it ''glows'' and is ''neon'' and I''ve seen many people who have such specimens but then when you show them a real PT they say ''oh, ok I can see the difference!'' To give you some perspective, I''ve probably seen over 1,000 ''paraiba'' tourmalines and kept only a handful!
This is how people get fooled also. On the left is an Apatite, on the right, a Paraiba Tourmaline. You''re seeing them side by side but imagine you hadn''t seen one before, or had only seen a handful - would you honestly know the difference if the Apatite was delivered to you? This is actually quite a dark Apatite but they come much lighter so you can see how they can be passed off as Tourmaline.
I''m really sorry to keep disagreeing with you and I hope you don''t think it''s personal but I have to agree with Richard Wise. The value of an Alex is predominately in its colour change, size, clarity and then cut. Unless it''s Russian (and can be proved to be so) there is very little premium applied for locality. The "gold standard" is NOT Brazilian, it''s Russian. If Russian and it has all the other qualities of an "investment" piece of Alexandrite, then a premium will be included for locality. However, a poor Russian stone is a poor Russian stone and an Indian or Brazilian one may well be worth more!Date: 2/2/2010 11:32:27 AM
Author: crasru
No-o, I won''t see a difference. The only way I can see a difference in your photo is because you mentioned Paraiba being windowed.Date: 2/2/2010 6:20:28 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
You guys really make me giggle!
It''s NOT an investment - trust me! Yes, I could sell this particular one for probably 10 times the purchase price (which was very low) - on the right day to the right buyer BUT if the market were to be flooded with neon, clean Paraiba Tourmalines tomorrow, or another find with exceptionally wonderful gemstones came on the market, it wouldn''t be an investment as I would probably only recoup what I''d paid (perhaps more). The market is sooooooo fickle and moves up and down constantly. I never ever buy for investment. I buy for the love of the gemstone.Date: 2/1/2010 7:46:59 PM
Author: crasru
Date: 2/1/2010 2:59:42 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
No you''re thinking of my certified 18.34ct pendant - which also needs a recut and also has a wndow!This one?
18.35? I think I read yesterday that gems are not an investment? Even with a window, it is a straight candidate for Sotheby''s. Or, if Sotheby''s reject it for some reason, Christie would grab this.
By the way, in answer to your question about whether to buy off Ebay? I doubt very very much whether you''ll find a true neon PT on there. You''ll find nicely coloured (occasionally well saturated) Curprite Tourmalines but whether any of them would achieve the Paraiba title is debatable. Everybody thinks they have a PT and that it ''glows'' and is ''neon'' and I''ve seen many people who have such specimens but then when you show them a real PT they say ''oh, ok I can see the difference!'' To give you some perspective, I''ve probably seen over 1,000 ''paraiba'' tourmalines and kept only a handful!
This is how people get fooled also. On the left is an Apatite, on the right, a Paraiba Tourmaline. You''re seeing them side by side but imagine you hadn''t seen one before, or had only seen a handful - would you honestly know the difference if the Apatite was delivered to you? This is actually quite a dark Apatite but they come much lighter so you can see how they can be passed off as Tourmaline.
LD, forgive me if I am constantly challenging you with this question, and I do see the market going up and down, but look at Hematita alexes! There are probably nicer Indian ones around, and they are cheaper, but I disagree with R. Wise''s saying that ''gems have no pedigree'' because the price for Brazilian alexes is much higher! It is sort of a ''gold standard''. Same with Paraibas - and even if yours did not have such a beautiful color, it would still be a rarity just by virtue of being huge! Same with Kashmir or Burmese sapphires. I have seen only two Kashmirs in my life, and both of them instantly caught my attention - both were beautiful although one of them was heated. Burmese, however, were very different, and I have seen some coming from Sri Lanka looking better than Burmese! And yet Kashmir and Burmese ones command a premium. Same with Paraibas - the ones from original mine will cost more just because now they are such a rarity.
This being said, I am not going to diversify my portfolio with gems. I am buying some, just for fun, and never compete with anyone because do not have spare time to learn. I haven''t yet bought a decent diamond although I have been offered many just because I feel I can not do it without serious education. Probably should visit diamond PS as well. I am now in the process of reading Matlin''s book on diamonds. But unless you saw a 100 diamonds, at least, you still know nothing.
Oh, nothing is personal at all. Re. the Mozambique camp - I have read both opinions and don''t know which side to take. I presume if I saw a Brazilian paraiba and a paraiba from Mozambique side-by-side (both certified), I''d choose a better-looking one, all other things being equal. Since there is so much controversy about Paraibas and their color as well, I think TL and someone else (Jeff?) posted a link to an article here, so I shall just keep on reading. Re. diamonds, I have been offered so many "below the marked price", I do not know what to make of it.Date: 2/2/2010 11:45:17 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
I''m really sorry to keep disagreeing with you and I hope you don''t think it''s personal but I have to agree with Richard Wise. The value of an Alex is predominately in its colour change, size, clarity and then cut. Unless it''s Russian (and can be proved to be so) there is very little premium applied for locality. The ''gold standard'' is NOT Brazilian, it''s Russian. If Russian and it has all the other qualities of an ''investment'' piece of Alexandrite, then a premium will be included for locality. However, a poor Russian stone is a poor Russian stone and an Indian or Brazilian one may well be worth more!Date: 2/2/2010 11:32:27 AM
Author: crasru
No-o, I won''t see a difference. The only way I can see a difference in your photo is because you mentioned Paraiba being windowed.Date: 2/2/2010 6:20:28 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
You guys really make me giggle!
It''s NOT an investment - trust me! Yes, I could sell this particular one for probably 10 times the purchase price (which was very low) - on the right day to the right buyer BUT if the market were to be flooded with neon, clean Paraiba Tourmalines tomorrow, or another find with exceptionally wonderful gemstones came on the market, it wouldn''t be an investment as I would probably only recoup what I''d paid (perhaps more). The market is sooooooo fickle and moves up and down constantly. I never ever buy for investment. I buy for the love of the gemstone.Date: 2/1/2010 7:46:59 PM
Author: crasru
Date: 2/1/2010 2:59:42 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
No you''re thinking of my certified 18.34ct pendant - which also needs a recut and also has a wndow!This one?
18.35? I think I read yesterday that gems are not an investment? Even with a window, it is a straight candidate for Sotheby''s. Or, if Sotheby''s reject it for some reason, Christie would grab this.
By the way, in answer to your question about whether to buy off Ebay? I doubt very very much whether you''ll find a true neon PT on there. You''ll find nicely coloured (occasionally well saturated) Curprite Tourmalines but whether any of them would achieve the Paraiba title is debatable. Everybody thinks they have a PT and that it ''glows'' and is ''neon'' and I''ve seen many people who have such specimens but then when you show them a real PT they say ''oh, ok I can see the difference!'' To give you some perspective, I''ve probably seen over 1,000 ''paraiba'' tourmalines and kept only a handful!
This is how people get fooled also. On the left is an Apatite, on the right, a Paraiba Tourmaline. You''re seeing them side by side but imagine you hadn''t seen one before, or had only seen a handful - would you honestly know the difference if the Apatite was delivered to you? This is actually quite a dark Apatite but they come much lighter so you can see how they can be passed off as Tourmaline.
LD, forgive me if I am constantly challenging you with this question, and I do see the market going up and down, but look at Hematita alexes! There are probably nicer Indian ones around, and they are cheaper, but I disagree with R. Wise''s saying that ''gems have no pedigree'' because the price for Brazilian alexes is much higher! It is sort of a ''gold standard''. Same with Paraibas - and even if yours did not have such a beautiful color, it would still be a rarity just by virtue of being huge! Same with Kashmir or Burmese sapphires. I have seen only two Kashmirs in my life, and both of them instantly caught my attention - both were beautiful although one of them was heated. Burmese, however, were very different, and I have seen some coming from Sri Lanka looking better than Burmese! And yet Kashmir and Burmese ones command a premium. Same with Paraibas - the ones from original mine will cost more just because now they are such a rarity.
This being said, I am not going to diversify my portfolio with gems. I am buying some, just for fun, and never compete with anyone because do not have spare time to learn. I haven''t yet bought a decent diamond although I have been offered many just because I feel I can not do it without serious education. Probably should visit diamond PS as well. I am now in the process of reading Matlin''s book on diamonds. But unless you saw a 100 diamonds, at least, you still know nothing.
There are good and bad gemstones from every locality. It is false to say that the same gemstone family from X will outstrip the same from Y. Gemstones should be valued on their individual beauty.
In the same way, there are some bleurgh stones from the original Paraiba Tourmaline Brazilian find that won''t attract as much attention as an outstanding piece from Mozambique (assuming you are in the camp that believes that the chemical composition of the gemstone entitles it to be called a Paraiba Tourmaline).
Diamonds actually are far easier to buy! There is an international grading system, people understand cut, colour, clarity far better and there is much less open to interpretation! Coloured gemstones are far more challenging because there are many more variables.
Honestly...and not to be mean...I think you should return it. I dont think it is worth what you paid (at least not in ebay world). It isnt very clear, and if it has a big black inclusion it DEFF isnt worth 300$. If you LOVED it then I would say keep it...but you dont sound happy at all and sound like you are trying to convince yourself to like it. I still recommend thaigemscity. A NICE, CLEAR, BLUE cuprian tourmaline that size in ebay land should cost you 200$ tops.
They were nice because they wanted you to buy the stone. How nice are they to photoshop their stone to trick you? If your not going to love the stone, return it. There are LOTS of cuprian paraibas out there.
and if there are lots of cuprian PTs out there in the $0-300ish range, then show me! cause i can't find any nice ones where i've looked.
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