Tourmaline is here !

[arjunajane]

Yay, my first "proper" coloured gem purchase, and I *love* it

Specs are as follows, from Dan Stair:

STONE: Tourmaline
WEIGHT: 1.34 Cts.
CUT: Modified Round Brilliant
DIMENSIONS: 6.85 mm
ORIGIN: Afghanistan
COLOR: Yellowish Mint Green
CLARITY: Very Good++ (Eye Clean, Nearly Flawless)


Its a perfectly minty colour in person, just as Dan described it (who BTW is a doll to work with).

I desperatly need some tools, as I''ve already gotten it filthy and dropped it a couple times

- which leads me to my Q, any advice on care for/cleaning of tourmalines?

Pics!

First, outside in arvo sunlight, next to tree..

 

[Jelly]

more pics more pics! It looks yummy!

 

[arjunajane]

I''m trying, lol !

I must also give props to Bling Addict, who''s beautiful blue spinel inspired me to chase down one of these cuts.

Outside in arvo sun, showing off the OEC-like facets I fell for..and some brilliance..

 

[arjunajane]

on my un-moisturized hand ..

inside in diffused daylight. (I think!).

 

[arjunajane]

And it goes a lil pale in direct sun - but it does have alot of fire and brilliance. Infact, more than I expected.

All in all, very happy with my first one, thanks for looking!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Gorgeous!!!

I love that minty color! How are you setting that beauty?

 

[icekid]

oooh so minty and fresh! Love it, arjuana

 

[arjunajane]

Hi BEG and icekid, thankyou!

I didn't buy it with much purpose in mind, but I like it so much next to my lil violet spinel (bought some mths ago from John B), that I think they must go in stackers together!
I probably can't afford to do it real soon, but when I do I will have Sally put them in some of her "seed" stackers...

Does anyone have an opinion on whether 18k yellow gold will be ok with the green?

Here's a pic of the 2 hanging out - what do ya reckon?

 

[bling addict]

AJ it's gorgeous!!! I

(wish I could take photos as good as yours!) and think the two stones you have will make gorgeous stacking rings!!

Given that is described as "yellowish mint green" (not that I can see it! - except maybe a little in the first photo???) I personally probably would not set it in yellow gold - if I did not want to enhance any yellow that may be in the stone -- but if you're not fussed then it wouldn't matter...anyways just my 2c

the stones and look forward to seeing the finished product!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Oh Arjuna, those two are going to look SO SO good in stackers together!

but like Bling Addict, I don''t think yellow gold would show off the green as well as white or maybe rose gold. White would make it look very fresh and clean, but I like the idea of the rose contrast with the green - not sure if that combination would be tacky, but in my mind, it looks delicious!

 

[arjunajane]

Thankyou BA, you''re a sweetheart! And thankyou for the inspiration.
Cheers for the input on the metal. I''m not sure how much I would mind about the yellow being bought out - I guess it depends on how much it will change, lol..

Cheers BEG also for the input, Rose gold is a lovely suggestion! I have an empty RG solitaire mount, I just checked and they are very complimentary together.
Also the spinel looks great with rose.

Hrmm..good points about the YG girls..I wonder what I should do? Sally doesn''t do RG yet, and charges extra for WG. I really wanted to use her though as imho her stackers look like very nice quality. Plus I will be sending the cushion rhodolite to her once I get it..

Here is pic of her Lotus Seed stackers - I love how well finished all her pieces are.
The YG she uses is very rich and warm..perhaps that will help..?
Oh well, maybe its a good thing I have to sit on this one for a bit!

 

[ma re]

I''d go for an all white setting. Tourmaline probably exhibits both yellowish greens and bluish greens so it could also be set in yellow gold as well, but if you''re thinking about using them both in the same ring I''d keep metal color to a minimum - to make the stones pop. Spinel would probably benefit from rose gold, but tourmaline wouldn''t, cause colors would clash and it''s also too light in tone for such a contrast. However, spinel isn''t very light so it might not be a bad idea to have it all in yellow (to not further darken the spinel visually), but since both green and purple are generally considered cold colors, I''d still go for an all white look.

 

[arjunajane]

Hi ma re, thankyou, I was hoping you would drop in!

If I have my way, these will be set in two separate stacking rings, similiar to the photo above. So can be worn next to each other or separately..

I don''t tend to wear much White metals, and the designer I''d like to use prefers to work in yellow...that said, it is a very nice quality warm 18k yellow gold.

Do you have any opinion on by "how much" the tourm would potentially lighten by using YG? Or is this too abstract a question without seeing the stone, lol..
What about the tourm in all WG and the spinel in all YG?

 

[geckodani]

What a fun stone! And I think it would look great in YG, but that''s just me.

Especially next to the spinel!

 

[mochi]

LOVE IT!!! Isn''t Dan just a sweetheart?? And he does such a wonderful job.

Is Sally going to be doing your rings? I''ve been drooling over her rings for a while. If I may ask, what is the process in getting her to set the ring? I''m assuming that she will set your stone in her mountings?

 

[T L]

Beautiful stone, I would definitely do yellow gold with a bezel.

 

[arjunajane]

Thankyou Gecko, also for the input. How are you sweety?


Thankyou Mochi! Yep, Dan't the Best!
Yes, I've been chatting to Sally quite a bit for ideas on setting the cushion rhodolite I'm having done - haven't worked it out yet, but thinking something bezel-y and floral-y. That is my priority, but if I can afford I would like to have these 2 lil ones also done in the stackers..

She is definately open to setting customers' gems, although she did mention she had hardly had the request until a week or so ago when she had quite a few - when PS'ers discovered her, lol!

We have been chatting back and forth through etsy.
Keep in mind she does live/work in Chiang Mai in Thailand, so it is worth emailing her and making sure you are comfortable with sending your gems there etc.
She is extremely kind, enthusiastic and helpful, I'm sure she will be very happy to chat with you.

Which setting do you have in mind? spill!

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/13/2009 8:57:24 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Beautiful stone, I would definitely do yellow gold with a bezel.

Hi TL, thankyou. So thats a vote for YG? You're not concerned with the yellowing of the stone at all?

Oh TL, I wanted to ask you - I noticed you have the same cut from Gene that I have asked him to do for a rhodolite - your mint garnet.
How do you like this cut in person? And does it do well in a bezel?
I would also like to bezel mine, do you think that will work with an umbalite garnet? I realize its rather deep, no?
Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[arjunajane]

Ummm..another question. Can somebody pls define quickly for me, or link to an explanation of extinction? ie. what it is, how its caused, what it looks like etc?

I searched and found a nbr of threads discussing whether this or that stone had it, but definitions not so much.

thankyou!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 1/13/2009 9:01:39 AM
Author: arjunajane
Thankyou Gecko, also for the input. How are you sweety?


Thankyou Mochi! Yep, Dan''t the Best!
Yes, I''ve been chatting to Sally quite a bit for ideas on setting the cushion rhodolite I''m having done - haven''t worked it out yet, but thinking something bezel-y and floral-y. That is my priority, but if I can afford I would like to have these 2 lil ones also done in the stackers..

She is definately open to setting customers'' gems, although she did mention she had hardly had the request until a week or so ago when she had quite a few - when PS''ers discovered her, lol!

We have been chatting back and forth through etsy.
Keep in mind she does live/work in Chiang Mai in Thailand, so it is worth emailing her and making sure you are comfortable with sending your gems there etc.
She is extremely kind, enthusiastic and helpful, I''m sure she will be very happy to chat with you.

Which setting do you have in mind? spill!

Doing pretty well over here, thanks for asking!

We''re moving in a month or so, so all jewelry projects are on hold until the crazy moving expenses get sorted.

So I''ll live vicariously through you all.

What would be the process for sending a gem to Thailand?

 

[stepcutnut]

Lovely stone(s)! I think stack rings would be gorgeous, the tourm would look lovely in a YG bezel

 

[ma re]

Date: 1/13/2009 6:26:45 AM
Author: arjunajane
Hi ma re, thankyou, I was hoping you would drop in!

If I have my way, these will be set in two separate stacking rings, similiar to the photo above. So can be worn next to each other or separately..

I don''t tend to wear much White metals, and the designer I''d like to use prefers to work in yellow...that said, it is a very nice quality warm 18k yellow gold.

Do you have any opinion on by ''how much'' the tourm would potentially lighten by using YG? Or is this too abstract a question without seeing the stone, lol..
What about the tourm in all WG and the spinel in all YG?

It sure is

But it''s more a question of setting than metal color, so if you''re worried about lightening in too much, just make sure the setting is not too open i.e. don''t set it in prongs. White metal would probably lighten it even more, and yellow would make it more yellow, which may or may not look good (if the stone has some grey to it, yellow metal might be great). Using any kind of bezel is the easiest way of making it look darker, of course.

 

[Catmom]

What a beautiful stone! I love the minty color.

 

[T L]

Date: 1/13/2009 9:03:04 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 1/13/2009 8:57:24 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Beautiful stone, I would definitely do yellow gold with a bezel.

Hi TL, thankyou. So thats a vote for YG? You're not concerned with the yellowing of the stone at all?

Oh TL, I wanted to ask you - I noticed you have the same cut from Gene that I have asked him to do for a rhodolite - your mint garnet.
How do you like this cut in person? And does it do well in a bezel?
I would also like to bezel mine, do you think that will work with an umbalite garnet? I realize its rather deep, no?
Thanks in advance for your advice!

I think white gold would make your stone look washed out, and I think yellow gold might bring out more yellow in it, but some people like the yellow modifier in tourmalines. If you want to bring out more of the blue, I'm not sure if you can. If you use 14K yellow gold, that would be better than 18K though.

The mint garnet that Gene cut for me is really a tourmaline (that was a typo in my thread). Gene cuts a beautiful stone, and the light return from it is very impressive. However, that stone is a lighter tourmaline, and a garnet is typically a dark stone. I personally would not bezel a garnet because it's their nature to easily go extinct (not all, but most), and this would be pronounced in a bezel.

To test this, cup your fingers around the edge of the stone (the girdle) as you have it on a flat surface. Do you see light return, if no, I would not bezel it.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Love it! Love the Sally Stacker idea too!

 

[Linda W]

AJ: I love your new stone. Adore the color, so minty!!!! Dan does great work, it is gorgeous.

 

[LD]

Very very pretty!

I would agree with others who have said that w/gold will make the gemstone too pale and y/gold will probably be better. However, in a couple of your photos I can see a slight yellow hue. If that''s the case in person, I would definitely steer away from a bezel if you''re worried about the stone looking too yellow and just go for delicate prongs. A bezel will enhance the yellow but prongs won''t (especially if you have a fairly open basket). Have fun designing your project!

 

[AmberGretchen]

I LOVE that stone - so pretty and it looks like it really sparkles beautifully

 

[packrat]

It''s beautiful! Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do w/it!

 

[arjunajane]

Wow, what a great response! I love how enthusiastic you guys are..

Gecko, urgh I hate moving - I hope it is over soon. Sending the gem to THI is just like anywhere else (probably a lil bit more comfortable for me being in Aust rather than US), but there *may* be slight differences in security/duties. Best to just ask Sally if you're interested.

Thankyou Stepcutnut.

Hi again ma re, thats great info thankyou. Is there an easy way to detect if a stone has a grey modifier/mask?

Thankyou Michelle, I *love* your collection!

Hi TL, thats great info and exactly what I wanted to know, thankyou for the advice. Do you have a link or somewhere that I can read up more about extinction?
Is this the area in stones that goes black, or am I on the wrong path?

Hi Coats, thankyou hon!

Cheers Linda, yep I really like Dan's stuff. I hope to buy from him again.

Hi LD, thats good info, thankyou for the suggestions.

Hey AG, thankyou - yes it is actually really sparkley/firey in person, more so than I expected which is nice. I have it inside my jewellery box at the moment which has black lining, and it also glows in there!
I think I am hooked, lol..

Thankyou packrat - yes me too, lots to think about now!