Paraiba vs blue-green tourmaline?

[ger100]

Hi all,

I bought this as "Brazilian bi-color tourmaline." There is just a hint of green at one end, probably just the very edge. It is otherwise all a turquoise color. Shows pale green and pale turquoise under dichroscope. It is about 5 1/3 cwt., 18 x 6 mm. and very very clear.

Is there a way to distinguish Paraiba from just plain ole blue-green tourmaline without doing spectrographic analysis? I''ve read that Paraiba comes in several "versions" of color.

Thanks
Ger

 

[ger100]

Here is a shot of the face of the tourmaline with a flash. The flash distorts the reflections, but the color is close. Sorry, but I still have not perfected my photography of colored gemstones.

I suspect that my camera is not high enough in pixels.

Ger

 

[MINE!!]

Price, would be the big ticket, methinks

 

[ger100]

I should re-phrase. Do gemologists perform a spectrographic test on all tourmaline which could be Paraiba by color? Or even every compatible color tourmaline if it''s of Brazilian origin?? Granted that this is not that beautiful Caribbean blue, but this is a blue-green tourmaline (Indicolite??) from Brazil... OR, is there a simpler way to distinguish, like an easier test, sign (other than price) or "tell."

Not to sound naive... I''ve been a collector/student of EAPG (Early American Pattern Glass) for almost 8 years (have had a few articles published). I have gotten some of the greatest, rarest pieces (cheap too) because no one knew what they were! I''m just kinda hoping that something like that might happen with gemstones...sometimes... probably not.

 

[maxspinel]

Parariba tourmaline is colored by copper whilte most green/blue tourmalines by iron. Without destroying part of the stone to run soime chemical analysis, I think you need to send it to a lab to test the copper abosrption spectrum.

 

[ger100]

Hi Max,

I sent the stone back. It was an 8 ct long blue green tourmaline, pretty deep. And the more I looked at it, the less I liked it. It didn''t pass the "Mom" test: If Mom (90 yrs young) likes it, most of the rest of the world will. If Mom turns up her nose and says,
"Echk" or shrugs her shoulders, usually it ain''t a keeper.

Without being a "pretty" stone, it weren''t worth keeping.

Thanks
Ger

 

[maxspinel]

Date: 10/13/2006 9:00:13 PM
Author: ger100
Hi Max,

I sent the stone back. It was an 8 ct long blue green tourmaline, pretty deep. And the more I looked at it, the less I liked it. It didn''t pass the ''Mom'' test: If Mom (90 yrs young) likes it, most of the rest of the world will. If Mom turns up her nose and says,
''Echk'' or shrugs her shoulders, usually it ain''t a keeper.

Without being a ''pretty'' stone, it weren''t worth keeping.

Thanks
Ger

I like your "mom test". I also do a similar test when I receive gems that I am not sure. I ask my friends and collegues to fill out a written questionare on how they like the gems. If the majarity receive the stone favorably, then I''ll keep it.

Max