Vietnam cobalt spinel cut stones for sale.

[Barrett]

I have a good buddy, who is not seabring, mind you, LOL, that has some small faceted cobalt bearing spinels he personally cut, and is thinking about selling. I was curious, how do I come to a reasonable price/value, and what makes sense, given the different traits of each stone. I am not sure the exact sizes yet, still waiting on a response from him, and some have better color than others, as can be seen, but where does that leave one in terms of FMV to be paid for a stone that is .10ct...maybe .20cts. in size? If the color looks like the other spinel offered on pala, or seen on here....a top electric or hauyne blue...then how much is a stone with that color run, when it's size is only under a quarter carat and less.
Thoughts?
Here is a pic of the finished stones he has, and that I am contemplating on buying. A couple look like they have a very very good to strong color.... a good portion of them seem to have a better than average blue color, for cobalt spinel from Vietnam, yet, even so, the "mediocre blues" have a nicer color than many other blue stones out there.

I just can't get enough of the color of these cobalt spinels from Vietnam. Better than any Paraiba I ever owned, except for one actually, and that was out of all my Batalha Mine Paraiba stones I bought and sold over the years. I have had some pretty sweet tanzanites in the past, and the color is hard to beat...but...dang if they cobalt chromophore doesn't win out every time. Hauyne has the color it finds hard to beat. I can't afford sapphires of similar, or anywhere close in color, to what these spinels have.
If color is truly king in the gem world, then these cobalt spinels from Vietnam, the low-no tone/high sat. ones, I am specifically speaking of, are truly at the top of the ladder in the gemstone world.
I am wanting a cut stone, even though I only collect cut stones once in a blue moon now, ever since I quit faceting. I bought a good little batch of rough pieces that had great color, but were not cuttable, ...just....just...just to have the color they glow off....cough..i mean give off! Just the simple fact of owning the color, negates the fact they are only specimen grade and not a gemstone. How often does one get to actually hold and own a truly "vivid" colored stone? I know many on here have done so, and that is why you guys will quickly understand the meaning of my buying rough....if not just to covet and possess the king of chromophore colors.
Nothing can beat Cobalt, when it comes to being the best chromophore. I will reiterate what I have mentioned on another thread before....not copper....not chromium...not iron....can best the power of blue, colored by the uber rare element cobalt. Oft times, cobalt becomes to powerful for it's own good, and will over saturate it's host, thus making it a glorified black rock with small flashes of blue here and there.
Sorry about the rambling on...been a minute since I been online...weeks actually....I am just enamoured with these spinel as of late.....i hadn't felt this way about a stone since the Paraiba days of the late 2000's and/or the purple, red, bi-color imperial topaz kick I was on back then too.
Yea, bi-color imperial topaz from Brazil, of facet quality, is more rare than red beryl and benitoite....fyi...

ahhh...goodbye icky cuprian tourmalines, with your amazing marketing ability, overhyped chromophore, and idea that copper is the key to what owning a Paraiba is about.
When was the last time you had a gemstone that was a blue color like the spinel posted below? This is a spinel from someone on PS here...can't recall from whom, regardless, how many blue gems do you own that look like this?

 

[minousbijoux]

I think I'll make it easy for you by saying that unless thats a bad photo, those samples don't look to be near top color to me - kinda lacking in saturation if ykwim. Then again, you KNOW your stuff when it comes to color, so maybe its just a bad photo?

 

[pregcurious]

I have to agree with Minous. Many of the spinels are too dark, purple, or light for my taste. There are a few that I like, but I the sizes do not appear uniform enough for a project. For example, if there were enough of a nice blue, in one size to make a partial-eternity ring, it would make sense to purchase them.

 

[Barrett]

it's a bad photo. I have seen the rough these were cut from...roughly 3 grades of stone....when I first saw the still pics, I was in the process of saying...nah..when he posted a video instead showing the 3 grades he divided them into based on color. I saw the first two piles and was turned off and about ready to kick it...when he got to the third pile of stones, and my goddess...took my breath away.
I know only a couple will be close to top color, because only so many ever achieve that.
I can tell from his pic, that at least a couple are of real note colorwise....granted, they may not be the jedi colored type, but I am willing to bet a couple are low tone and rich in sat..
Without having them in hand, it's all speculation....regardless, the color on many will be above and beyond what you get with a blue tourmaline, most tanzy's, sapphire, etc.
I have a batch of rough I hand selected out of my parcels, that had been hand selected for me prior to my buying, as i requested only the electric/top color ones.
LOL...quite comical...the "amguy", also a classic PS savy shopper, talked my other hookup, whom I got my rough from, that I would buy another $100 worth, if he made sure and picked only the electric blues out for me, since I could only buy those of the best color for my collection. I didn't care if they were big, octahedron, gemmy, etc...color was what I needed, even if they are sand grain sized
It worked for about 3-4 rounds of purchases, but this last time he said I had almost picked him clean of electric blues....LOL....poor guy has only lackluster and muted blue hues now...hahha
Only someone as demanding as a PS'er CS'er, would make such "pretentious" demands for a little more color. You ladies should be proud you taught a man, me, years ago how to finally pick aright color"...LOL
Here is one of the first pics he sent after I stumbled...literally...on my good good buddy, who happened to have like 2000 cts of rough he got 3 years ago and stashed away until I mentioned these puppies from Vietnam and he pulled a bag...two big bags out of them.
Those gems are tiny and in a poor place to take pics of. I have tried with red beryl gemstones that small before. I speculate the color of some, or most, is the same as the bags of rough he used to cut them from.

What is something I noticed about these Viet spinel(Co), is that many times the rough has good blue, but only in certain parts or at certain angles can the best color be seen. Of course, we understand this concept, as it applies to many stones....but having looped, scoped, and studied, the individual pieces from some 15 grams of stones of "electric blue", that many have specific angles to show the neon hauyne blue color. They still look electric blue on all other parts of the stone, but lots of the pieces have a sweet spot of color that just blows away even the electric blue color....which...sounds like an oxymoron.
This may be why they say usually the best color stones are also the smallest.





Here is the best one he has in his collection, and that he has seen while in Vietnam.

 

[Barrett]

The stones I have gotten, have many times had color shifting issues under different kelvin temp. bulbs. Incandescent, or anything under 4700-5000K, often times gives some of the CO spinels a purple secondary hue and leaves the blue much more limpid in vibrancy. I use a 5500K and 6100K bulbs on my scope and lights to photograph them.



some rough I procured for the color alone.....

 

[lilmosun]

Completely agree that it there is nothing like the color of a fine cobalt spinel. Your posts always have me drooling with envy. It's not fair for one person to have such a fine collection of them.

 

[Seaglow]

I know the source and have seen his stones and I've seen the exact box that's why I know. That box photo is fresh from cutting, still with dop on the stones. This was cutting a sample lot, random stones, not a selection of the nicest blues. I bet some materials broke while cutting. There are just very few cobalt blue suppliers in the market. There are cobalt blues in that box. Funny what an ugly photo can do vs. professional lighting. Lol. He got stones from Luc Yen 3-5 years ago, that's a decent batch, those times. He hoarded several bags, I think, all of them that time.

The truth about buying cobalt lots in Luc Yen is you don't get to pick. Usually the main dealer or miners in Vietnam would sell an entire bag (including blue dust) in order for you to get the lot. The composition of a bag is a) blue dust, b) dark opaque blues, c) color shift stones from violet to blue, d) electric cobalt blues.

The color-shift stones have lower cobalt content and usually cleaner, still beautiful but the sought after are the electrics.

You have to sift through thousands of stones to get the Hauyne blues but most of the blues can also be a bit opaque to fully opaque,

The prices for cobalt blue Luc Yen spinels when cut rises drastically, as the material is small and can crumble or fracture when cut. Many cutters won't touch it apart from the material being difficult to replace in case something happens.

When you buy rough, the dealers will usually scoop from the lot, selection price can rise dramatically for these stones. I do selection as I only want nice-colored ones and pay the premium but I think the seller will not allow most of the time as he will be left with unsaleable stones.

My first blue purchase was a bag from a cutter (this entire bag was bought by another dealer, for rough jewelry purpose), which was handed over by the same source - so same batch/lot.

Here is a photo of what I had to sift thru as well as my selections. The photos that show better color are under daylight. I only use an iPad, no flash.

I just asked the source to get decent photos. Lol.

Barrett, I just talked to him and he should be able to hold on to it a bit more since you guys go way back. He only showed you so far as far as I know because you are also known to hunt these in the market, I just know about it because I selected roughs from him in person. Once it's handed to a gem broker, it will be gone in a flash, at least the vivid blues. There are hardly cut materials in the market. I myself have tried to recall some bigger stones of half a carat from someone else to buy but was unsuccessful. These stones go once handed to a broker.

Anyway, as Richard Wise described the stones in his book, most stones are Bic Pen blue, rather than Hauyne blue, which is an accurate description. I guess Internet photos are deceiving most of the time.

 

[Sagebrush]

Seaglow, Barrett,

Wish I had seen some rough of this quality when I was in Luc Yen. Largest cut gem I ever bought was a bit over half a carat. It was clean and round and I sold it to a collector. The Bic Pen blue I saw in Bangkok.

Best thing I found in Viet Nam was the soup!

Richard

 

[lilmosun]

Thanks for clarifying Richard.

I wasn't sure what Seaglow meant by most stones are Bic Pen blue, rather than Hauyne blue, which is an accurate description. I guess Internet photos are deceiving most of the time as my cobalt spinel from Luc Yen province (Khau CA mine) is definitely not what I would call Bic Pen Blue at all...the hauyne like blue ones do exist.

(Not the best pic - was cropped from a quick group photo I once posted on PS)


Its only .21 carat and I dream of the stuff Barrett has collected and Seaglow has seen.

 

[Seaglow]

Here's a better photo from the source (1st photo). I also sent some of my roughs to a cutter. Definitely the Hauyne color exists. I find myself in Bangkok inquiring if the small electric blue stone in a gem box on the display window is a Hauyne or a Luc Yen. I have several cut electric blues in my collection. (2nd photo).

Also the stones seldom make it to over a carat, majority below .20carat.

Here's a cobalt Luc Yen project from Asia Lounges with a .34 carat pair (TCW).

https://www.asialounges.com/product...l-pair-0-34-cts-in-18k-white-gold-and-diamond

https://www.asialounges.com/blogs/a...-to-your-finger-the-delicate-journey-of-a-gem

 

[theredspinel]

Thanks for clarifying Richard.

I wasn't sure what Seaglow meant by most stones are Bic Pen blue, rather than Hauyne blue, which is an accurate description. I guess Internet photos are deceiving most of the time as my cobalt spinel from Luc Yen province (Khau CA mine) is definitely not what I would call Bic Pen Blue at all...the hauyne like blue ones do exist.

(Not the best pic - was cropped from a quick group photo I once posted on PS)


Its only .21 carat and I dream of the stuff Barrett has collected and Seaglow has seen.

Omg. I think this is the ideal colour?! It's the absolute perfect tone and saturation and I don't see a hint of grey. It blows the ones in the gembox away imo.

The second pic seaglow posted of the same gem box is better; it shows clearer the nicer ones are nice but still, the problems are - too dark, too light, too purple, not saturated enough and very obvious grey. To my incredibly immature eyes, I can't find one that has the perfect mix like lilmosuns. The most apparent problem to me with these are tone and visability of greyness.

 

[Sagebrush]

Lilmosun,
Looks pretty Bic-y to me. I think the rough shot in my spinel chapter is pretty good though the largest rough pictured couldn't have cut a 3mm stone. My little gem was a tiny 4mm a bit more saturated, round, well cut and clean. Also, the first, last and only I've ever seen.

Perhaps we could run a contest. Find a new name. But, if you think about it, how easy is it to find a sample pen to which to compare your potential new purchase.

RWW

 

[theredspinel]

Lilmosun,
Looks pretty Bic-y to me. I think the rough shot in my spinel chapter is pretty good though the largest rough pictured couldn't have cut a 3mm stone. My little gem was a tiny 4mm a bit more saturated, round, well cut and clean. Also, the first, last and only I've ever seen.

Perhaps we could run a contest. Find a new name. But, if you think about it, how easy is it to find a sample pen to which to compare your potential new purchase.

RWW

Oooh please post a picture of your 4mm one here??

 

[Seaglow]

Photo credits to pen addict. https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2016/1/17/bic-cristal-ballpoint-pen-review

Bic Pen Blue.

 

[theredspinel]

Photo credits to pen addict. https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2016/1/17/bic-cristal-ballpoint-pen-review

Bic Pen Blue.

LOL. Thank you! Ok now we need an example of hayunite blue (because this bic pen blue was my hayuniye blue)! And / or electric blue.

 

[SparkliesLuver]

Don't mean to threadjack in any way - just adding my hauyne ring to the mix for comparison. I, like several of you, am also completely enamored with cobalts. They're so special!

 

[theredspinel]

Don't mean to threadjack in any way - just adding my hauyne ring to the mix for comparison. I, like several of you, am also completely enamored with cobalts. They're so

Don't mean to threadjack in any way - just adding my hauyne ring to the mix for comparison. I, like several of you, am also completely enamored with cobalts. They're so special!

OMG. Where have you been hiding this?!!

 

[theredspinel]

Since we're adding hayuniye

Looking too dark here:



Looking too light here:



And I still havnt taken the perfect what I see in real life picture.

 

[lilmosun]

Thanks for explaining the bic blue..I was thinking of the blue ink barrel.

Here is a quick pick of my cobalt spinel sitting between 3mm hauynes.

 

[lilmosun]

fwiw - I don't see any grey or color-shift in mine.

Mine was a total random impulse purchase. I was looking at trays of blue sapphires at the Springfield gem show and my eye immediately went to this tiny single stone sitting in a box. Yes, it was marked "cobalt spinel" and "Vietnam" but nothing registered except the intense electric blue color that blew everything else away io. It wasn't until I got home and did some research (the name of the mine was scribbled and barely legible on the back of the box) and found the same dealer discussing the small find on a GIA video that I realized how it was a Luc Yen spinel that I'd only heard about in passing here on PS.

I don't know anything about cobalt spinels, what's ideal, etc...the one I own is the only one I've seen IRL...so these threads fascinate me as I thrive on learning more from folks like Barrett, seaglow and Richard. Always curious to learn more.

Barrett - did you decide to buy the lot?

 

[theredspinel]

Thanks for explaining the bic blue..I was thinking of the blue ink barrel.

Here is a quick pick of my cobalt spinel sitting between 3mm hauynes.

Lilmosun u know if you ever decided to part with those earrings I'd move heaven and earth to find a way to make them mine.

 

[Barrett]

Check out this 1.55ct piece of top color rough..clean too! My buddy over in Asia got to hold the stone, but didn't buy it. Over the years, he has spoken to the most of the important locals who are involved with this gem, and they said..
" I asked many times[locals involved with Co spinel] about how many 2ct plus finest vivid neons that are found and cut ever. They say maybe 10, not as many as 20. Ever. Then I dont include the 60% saturaten or even 70%. Lets say 90% or better of what is regarded 100% top color"

and then he said..."I have seen 3-5 pieces of rough that can cut 1ct since I came here[a couple years ago]. I think I saw most of the ones found, at least the last 1.5 years..these are the top top best color ones I am speaking of"

 

[Barrett]

These are some in his personal collection. They come from pieces of rough he hand selected at the market in Luc Yen, over the last couple years, or so.

Here is one specimen grade piece that looks like a claw...another one in his collection

 

[normanintheskywithsapphires]

I'm confused: Is hauyne a type of cobalt spinel?

 

[Nosean]

No

Hauyne is a so called Feldspatoid - Spinel an oxide so different minerals

Both are isometric ( cubic ) - Hardness 5,5 for Hauyne and 8 for spinel with a much higher RI - so for jewelry spinel is much better.



Hauyne is a light mineral - a 0,50 ct Hauyne would be a 0,80 ct Sapphire. A 0,20 ct is not small!

 

[chatoyancy]

These are some in his personal collection. They come from pieces of rough he hand selected at the market in Luc Yen, over the last couple years, or so.

Here is one specimen grade piece that looks like a claw...another one in his collection

Those are beautiful! I cannot believe the color of the rough.

 

[shinyrocks]

A fine Luc Yen blue is one of my "Holy Grail" stones! Just wish I could find a nice, well cut one of decent size. Those are some incredible examples!

 

[Barrett]

Check these out in the video...
I am seeing how much they run in price....waiting for a reply from an acquaintance, who has some of these amazing ...wait...wait...dare I say it....Neon and glowing blue hued Co spinel.

I took these pics yesterday of some of the nicer colored ones I just got in last week. I can honestly say, it's the most vivid and glowy color I have ever seen in a gem material,....hands down...except for possibly hauyne.
Camera's and video can't capture the gaudiness and fake looking color, that these have. Like Paraiba tourmaline, they tend to "glow" more when cut, or by having transmitted light pass inside them.
Even a .10ct stone of this stuff, will out shine most everything else around.
It's how I imagine the original Paraiba was like. The common vernacular was, it doesn't get it's signature "glow" until it has been cut. Once light can get inside and bouce around, it's a stone with an internal power source...ie. battery pack(like TL used to say)

What does one pay for something with a color as amazing as this? When it can be definitively said, one of the best colors in all gemstones, from all parts of the world, can be traced to these Co spinels, then where do you go from here?
If color is the major defining criteria involved with the valuation of a Colored Gemstone, then stands reason to believe, these spinels should out perform and out price the majority of Paraiba tourmaline.
How much do 1/4 carat Paraiba's go for? The ones from Brazil, that get sent to Japan for sale....those top color pieces so highly coveted.
If color is king, then regardless of what the other 3 C's are doing, as they always take a backseat to color, it will still be the number 1 attribute said stone is valued with.
Why invest your hard earned income on a stone that has a copper coloring it, yet the color still happens to be substandard. Do you spend more for the stone[Paraiba] that has been marketing itself as a beacon of hope in the world of CS stones, yet failing to deliver when it comes to the hype surrounding it.
or....do you go with something like a Co Spinel, like the ones above?
Color is better....stone is harder than tourmaline.....the chromophore Cobalt is the best chromophore out there, and it's also very rare in stones...like copper is with tourmaline.
It's got all the makings of a new "Renaissance of Color, in gemstones!
I can honestly say also, these are above and beyond any Paraiba I ever bought, sold, or seen, in terms of hue, tone, and saturation.


Below is a perfect example of what Paraiba tourmaline should look like, color/sat. wise.
Paraiba tourmaline is one of the world's most expensive gemstones. This has to be due to it's amazing color, like this piece, right? Too bad it's heated brazilian apatite!


OKay...paraiba cost so much money, and is in such demand because...... of stones like this below, right?
It was sent to GIA for Cu testing..................

....and it came back negative for copper. This is a Brume stone he just had tested, and got the results back from the other day .....it's tourmaline colored by Iron. Huh???
So.... by that reasoning, and the current market trends related to Paraiba tourmaline, and the consumers who buy them, then this blue tourmaline should cost the same as one with copper, all things being equal.
However, if copper was found in this stone by GIA, then it's price would have instantly shot up 5 times it's current estimated retail value. Right?
5x is the amount the stone goes up in value from the discovery of copper in it's makeup, compared to an Fe colored stone. Why does this happen? What does the stone have, or do, that makes it 5 times more valuable than an equal, and/or comparable blue tourmaline colored by Iron.
It's confusing me...so...let me see here....some microscopically small molecule, that I can't even see or touch, makes the determining factor in the pricing and value of Paraiba??
So why do I even care about copper then? Well, when it's got the right chemical makeup to go with the copper, like Manganese, iron, titanium, etc., then it can really be something to behold and look on in amazement...like the cuprians in the picture below. Even as crystals, they look fake and gaudy, and seem like man made material. That is what Paraiba is
supposed to look like...


Not like these below, which are all copper bearing tourmalines from Batalha



So why would one spend so much on a gemstone that isn't anywhere near this color/quality of tourmaline, which is colored by Iron?
Am I going mad? It makes no sense to me, why people are still going bonkers for something that has been muddled down into something that is a shell of the once proud stone, that had ushered in the common usage of the adjective "neon", in regards to color/saturation descriptions.
Sorry about the off tangent rant on Paraiba tourmaline. I have been really perturbed with that stuff, as of late. It's such a big rip off...unless your cuprian has a strong/vivid color, which is what originally made them noteworthy to the world, then it's nothing but a normal tourmaline that ...happens...to be colored by copper.
If a stone's color comes from copper, Iron, or say, chromium, even cobalt, then does it really matter which chromophore does the job, as long as it does it's job well?
Turn a new leaf this coming year.....down with copper, come on Cobalt

 

[Arkteia]

I absolutely see the point, Barrett. I don't even like tourmalines, one cracked recently, they are difficult to wear.

My only issue is, the cobalt spinels are super expensive and super small. One of the parameters has to change.

 

[chatoyancy]

Check these out in the video...
I am seeing how much they run in price....waiting for a reply from an acquaintance, who has some of these amazing ...wait...wait...dare I say it....Neon and glowing blue hued Co spinel.

I took these pics yesterday of some of the nicer colored ones I just got in last week. I can honestly say, it's the most vivid and glowy color I have ever seen in a gem material,....hands down...except for possibly hauyne.
Camera's and video can't capture the gaudiness and fake looking color, that these have. Like Paraiba tourmaline, they tend to "glow" more when cut, or by having transmitted light pass inside them.
Even a .10ct stone of this stuff, will out shine most everything else around.
It's how I imagine the original Paraiba was like. The common vernacular was, it doesn't get it's signature "glow" until it has been cut. Once light can get inside and bouce around, it's a stone with an internal power source...ie. battery pack(like TL used to say)

What does one pay for something with a color as amazing as this? When it can be definitively said, one of the best colors in all gemstones, from all parts of the world, can be traced to these Co spinels, then where do you go from here?
If color is the major defining criteria involved with the valuation of a Colored Gemstone, then stands reason to believe, these spinels should out perform and out price the majority of Paraiba tourmaline.
How much do 1/4 carat Paraiba's go for? The ones from Brazil, that get sent to Japan for sale....those top color pieces so highly coveted.
If color is king, then regardless of what the other 3 C's are doing, as they always take a backseat to color, it will still be the number 1 attribute said stone is valued with.
Why invest your hard earned income on a stone that has a copper coloring it, yet the color still happens to be substandard. Do you spend more for the stone[Paraiba] that has been marketing itself as a beacon of hope in the world of CS stones, yet failing to deliver when it comes to the hype surrounding it.
or....do you go with something like a Co Spinel, like the ones above?
Color is better....stone is harder than tourmaline.....the chromophore Cobalt is the best chromophore out there, and it's also very rare in stones...like copper is with tourmaline.
It's got all the makings of a new "Renaissance of Color, in gemstones!
I can honestly say also, these are above and beyond any Paraiba I ever bought, sold, or seen, in terms of hue, tone, and saturation.


Below is a perfect example of what Paraiba tourmaline should look like, color/sat. wise.
Paraiba tourmaline is one of the world's most expensive gemstones. This has to be due to it's amazing color, like this piece, right? Too bad it's heated brazilian apatite!


OKay...paraiba cost so much money, and is in such demand because...... of stones like this below, right?
It was sent to GIA for Cu testing..................

....and it came back negative for copper. This is a Brume stone he just had tested, and got the results back from the other day .....it's tourmaline colored by Iron. Huh???
So.... by that reasoning, and the current market trends related to Paraiba tourmaline, and the consumers who buy them, then this blue tourmaline should cost the same as one with copper, all things being equal.
However, if copper was found in this stone by GIA, then it's price would have instantly shot up 5 times it's current estimated retail value. Right?
5x is the amount the stone goes up in value from the discovery of copper in it's makeup, compared to an Fe colored stone. Why does this happen? What does the stone have, or do, that makes it 5 times more valuable than an equal, and/or comparable blue tourmaline colored by Iron.
It's confusing me...so...let me see here....some microscopically small molecule, that I can't even see or touch, makes the determining factor in the pricing and value of Paraiba??
So why do I even care about copper then? Well, when it's got the right chemical makeup to go with the copper, like Manganese, iron, titanium, etc., then it can really be something to behold and look on in amazement...like the cuprians in the picture below. Even as crystals, they look fake and gaudy, and seem like man made material. That is what Paraiba is
supposed to look like...


Not like these below, which are all copper bearing tourmalines from Batalha



So why would one spend so much on a gemstone that isn't anywhere near this color/quality of tourmaline, which is colored by Iron?
Am I going mad? It makes no sense to me, why people are still going bonkers for something that has been muddled down into something that is a shell of the once proud stone, that had ushered in the common usage of the adjective "neon", in regards to color/saturation descriptions.
Sorry about the off tangent rant on Paraiba tourmaline. I have been really perturbed with that stuff, as of late. It's such a big rip off...unless your cuprian has a strong/vivid color, which is what originally made them noteworthy to the world, then it's nothing but a normal tourmaline that ...happens...to be colored by copper.
If a stone's color comes from copper, Iron, or say, chromium, even cobalt, then does it really matter which chromophore does the job, as long as it does it's job well?
Turn a new leaf this coming year.....down with copper, come on Cobalt

I haven’t seen the true “neon” paraiba IRL since the early 2000s. I obviously never could afford one even then, otherwise you guys would see it all over the place here because I would have posted pics about a thousand times.