Question about Tourmaline

[helphelp911]

i have few Tourmalines. But whenever i look at them, i don't feel the 'bling'. When i compare it to Spinel and zicron, Tourmaline bling looks quite dull. Is it normal for Tourmaline? or i just have some bad Tourmaline?

Thanks

 

[lovedogs]

tourmaline will be much less "blingy" than zircon, because zircons have such a high refractive index. I'm not sure about tourmaline vs. spinel. It also might be the stone itself that is the problem. Have you seen pics here showing some of the gorgeous tourmaline pieces? I think those look amazing!

 

[pwsg07]

Why don’t you show us the tourmalines first? Maybe other PSers can tell you what the problem is.

I think the cut, the lighting, and the RI maybe the causes. Tourmaline looks dull under warmer lighting. The RI of the tourmaline is lower than the RI of the spinel and zircon. Some tourmalines have dark c axis

 

[Anne111]

No, tourmalines can be sooo colorful and if well cut ....

 

[Acinom]

Tourmalines can be gorgeous and saturated. I have two and they are amazing.

Please post some pics of yours and we can better advice you

 

[chrono]

It depends on the cut, polish, tone, and axis. It's hard to say without pics of your tourmaline. Most spinel and zircon tend to catch the eye more than tourmaline though, due to their properties.

 

[helphelp911]

Hi, Thank you for all replies. Here is the video

Top is spinel
bottom is the tourmaline

I notice same thing as pwsg07 said, in warmer/weak light, Tourmaline doesn't look as bright.

Thanks

 

[voce]

Tourmaline looks like a Portuguese cut, spinel is a different precision cut; both have windows. It's still really hard to say from that video what exactly leads the tourmaline to appear not as bright, but it's definitely true that tourmaline appears best in daytime or with lots of light, and for most tourmalines the gray mask comes out in low light situations.

However, there are some rare tourmalines that have very little to no gray mask that still manage to look amazing in low light in comparison to the typical tourmaline. I've seen a rubellite tourmaline that looks brighter than 90% of rubies in all lighting situations. It has really got to do with the color and the presence/absence of mask between gems more so than the refractive index, or any other broad reason.

In top color spinels vs top color tourmalines, certain colors for the spinels would still win out because of the chromium. Chromium is most often associated with rubies and red spinels, but I've found my lavender sapphires somewhat fluorescent, which leads me to believe that there is some chromium in the color lavender in sapphires and spinels. Chromium could be the culprit that makes your spinel look brighter. You'd have to compare how the two fluoresce under a UV light, to test this hypothesis of mine.

 

[Acinom]

If you do not feel the love, I would not set it. This might not be the ideal stone for you

 

[pwsg07]

Hi, Thank you for all replies. Here is the video

Top is spinel
bottom is the tourmaline

I notice same thing as pwsg07 said, in warmer/weak light, Tourmaline doesn't look as bright.

Thanks

After looking at the video, I think it is the cutting style and the RI that make the tourmaline not as bright. Maybe a gem cutter can confirm my guess.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I think they are blingy but I will admit they are not as sparkly as say zircon, chrysoberyl or diamonds (I do quite like diamonds).

I feel like they need a really strong colour to make up for the RI.

I feel the same about sapphires too! I fobbed off 2 rings to my sister because I wasn't feeling blingy enough.

 

[Arcadian]

IMO the experience of the cutter is key to get the best out of tourmaline as they sparkle less than a stone with a higher RI (the ones you named above)

My much small blue zircon blows my touraline rings ring pretty much out of the water in terms of sparkle factor. For that matter, Sphene blows away just about anything frankly. So a reliance on being cut to bring depth and color to the stone (and some additional sparkle too) helps.

So, to ease your mind, look for a stone thats got an open C axis, and one thats not too dark. Also because most tourmaline I've seen have 2 or more colors, look for one that is pleasing to the eye. I have one that sat on a favorite sellers site for a very long time because it had yellow in it. To me the stone's color was just gorgeous and the cut is out of this world, so I got it.


Vendor Pic (gemline)


my pics



Vendor Pic (Precision Gem)


My pic


Vendor Pic( Swala)

My pic (I no longer own this ring as it went to finance other projects)




Only keep those stones that you love the color and the cut. Any tourmaline I've ever owned (sans one) changed depending on the light source. So being able to see the stone in your own environment is key (at least to me it is)

Buy from a vendor that has a good return policy thats states if they charge a fee for sending back and how long the examination period is. Personally I won't buy from someone that I can't send the stone back if its not up to my own personal standards.

 

[Acinom]

Zircons have an amazing presence and sparkle. Yet tourmalines can be really beautiful with great saturation and depth.

For me, my tourmalines are all about colour.

Blue-green tourmaline from Gene with open x-axis


Rubellite tourmaline from Gemfix:


Blue-green bi-colour tourmaline (ranging from blue-green to white) from Bespoke Gems:

 

[helphelp911]

Thank you all for sharing. i learn a lot!