Tourmaline experts - please help...

[Deia]

Hi all,

I've stumbled upon this stone below and was hoping if anyone can tell me if this is a good deal? I thought cuprian tourmalines were more expensive than this? I know there it is not certified so I guess I don't know if it really is what they claim it is.... I see a bit of extinction and a window (I think?) but I am not expert so any help appreciated!

This is the description from the seller - apologies for all caps - I copy/pasted from the seller's website:

(I'm not a fan of caps on vendor sites to be honest)

EXCELLENT 3.07 CT RARE CUPRIAN ELBAITE TOURMALINE - VVS GRADE EXCEPTIONALLY MASTER CUT SOUGHT AFTER NAMIBIAN GEMSTONE.

5A QUALITY, VVS, 10.31 X 8.27 X 5.62mm, NEON HOT PINK, MASTER OVAL FACET PORTUGUESE CUT, OUTSTANDING LUSTER AND BRILLIANCE, GENTLE HEAT TREATED ONLY, FROM NAMIBIA

 

[Michael_E]

There's no way of telling if it's what they say it is from a picture like this. You can tell a few things though. It does have a window, and yet the depth percentage of the stone is 67%. This means that the stone is probably bellied, making it a good candidate for recutting with low weight loss. The color is anyones guess as is the clarity since these things can be "adjusted" easily with photo manipulation software. The rule here is that you should have a very good assurance that you can return the stone for a refund easily if it doesn't suit you.

On an interesting note, if you do a web search for, "3.07 CT RARE CUPRIAN ELBAITE TOURMALINE", you will see this stone pop up in several places with prices ranging from $255 to $399. The same stone and the same seller. If you're thinking of getting it you may want to check it out and go for the lowest cost...as long as the return privileges are suitable.

 

[1001smiles]

Just out of curiosity, have you e-mailed the vendor to ask how he knows it's cuprian?
I don't know if Richard is stil running the store, but I asked a similar question last year, and he told me that he sold another stone from the same crystal to a customer in NY, who sent it to a reputable lab and it came back as cuprian (so this one has to be as well). Then a month later he gave me the same story about another stone, so I knew it was BS... I also did order and return a rubellite from them as one of my first e-bay trial mistakes, and I can tell you that the photos are highly edited.

 

[T L]

Just because a tourmaline has copper in it, doesn't mean it should be valuable or worth your time. First that photo is really enhanced, and secondly, they're irradiating all kinds of hot pink tourmaline, and labs cannot detect this treatment, so I would skip it.

 

[chrono]

Copper bearing has no meaning to me unless the stone glows. Without knowing this vendor, there are several considerations:
1. Did the vendor steal the picture from some other website?
2. Does the stone look like this IRL or has it been photoshopped?
3. Is there any proof that it is copper bearing?
4. What is the return policy?
5. Have you checked Toolhaus on this vendor's reputation?
6. It says heat only, but most pink tourmalines are now regularly heated, then irradiated which can NOT be detected at the moment. The type of pink tourmaline most likely to be nuked is the super saturated glowy sort.

 

[Barrett]

"EXCELLENT 3.07 CT RARE CUPRIAN ELBAITE TOURMALINE - VVS GRADE EXCEPTIONALLY MASTER CUT SOUGHT AFTER NAMIBIAN GEMSTONE.

5A QUALITY, VVS, 10.31 X 8.27 X 5.62mm, NEON HOT PINK, MASTER OVAL FACET PORTUGUESE CUT, OUTSTANDING LUSTER AND BRILLIANCE, GENTLE HEAT TREATED ONLY, FROM NAMIBIA"

Um...cuprian+Namibia= a bunch of BS

 

[Barrett]

ow what the funny thing is the seller on ebay has a nice little info thingy all about cuprian/paraiba tourmalines even going so far as to name the locations cuprians are found...Nigeria, brazil, and Mozambique. LOL..then they go on to say this stone is from namibia and it's a cuprian. Come on buddy(ebay seller), at least do a better job when trying to rip some one off...LOLOL

 

[chrono]

Welcome back, my Caped Crusader friend! Me thinks the Namibian cuprian is the newest and hottest gem to be mined in that country.

 

[gsellis]

Shopped for sure. Look at how hot and contrasty those tweezers are.

 

[Deia]

Ok for the last hour or so I have tried to post a reply and have been unable to - I get some weird error. Managed to post when I decided to click on "quote"....Anyway....

Thank you SO MUCH for your responses, everyone pretty much confirmed what I thought about it. I found this vendor (Rainbow of Gems) on another jewelry board I visit, and they have a representative there. I was already skeptical of their stones before even posting on here about it but just wanted to make sure I wasn't just being super picky. The vendor claims all his pictures are not photoshopped, I have a really hard time believing that.

I did not however know that this vendor also sells on ebay, only that he has a shop on Overstock in addition to his website.

I don't think this seller is trustworthy although I may be mistaken, but he sure isn't setting a good example plastering his stones everywhere with different prices.

Michael E - Your interesting note really made my decision on this stone and the vendor. I get the feeling he is trying to deceive his customers.

1001smiles - who is Richard? Sorry I ave not yet emailed the vendor and don't think I will considering this thread's outcome.

Caped Crusader ( ) thanks for pointing that out to me... I did not know cuprian tourmalines could not be found in Namibia.

TL - Absolutely, I just thought that if this was actually what the stone looked like then it's a pretty pink that I like.

Chrono - Thank you, as always you are so helpful! I have decided that I am just going to pass on this stone as I am just WAY too skeptical about it and don't think it will be worth my time and money.

George Ellis - I thought so too...thanks for confirming.

If anyone HAS bought from them, please share your pictures.

 

[1001smiles]

Sorry, I meant Richard at gem_cove, an e-bay store. I recognized their photoshopping technique and assumed you were referring to this listing. The image is definitely very edited and I would not buy from them again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/IMMACULATE-3-07-CT-NEON-PINK-CUPRIAN-ELBAITE-TOURMALINE-/130365801980?pt=Loose_Gemstones_1&hash=item1e5a6845fc