Can this tourmaline ring be fixed?

[Newaxies]

I recently picked out and received an indicolite tourmaline engagement ring from a jeweler on etsy. Unfortunately the stone is not at all how I thought it would be. Instead of looking saturated blue-green like the picture of the stone, it looks black 90% of the time. The ring cannot be returned as it was custom made. I am sure the full bezel setting is contributing to the darkness. Is there anything that can be done to improve this ring? Could the bezel be altered to let in more light? I am heartbroken about this!

 

[Newaxies]

 

[Newaxies]

this picture shows a little closer to what I thought the stone would look like

 

[chrono]

Did you see the tourmaline in person prior to it being set? Was it this dark or did it only darken after being set?
Is the person who sold you the tourmaline the same person as the one who did the setting?

A more open setting might help, depending on how dark the stone is when loose. The jeweller will have to use a bezel with an airline (cut-out) instead of a tube bezel. The more open the setting, the less dark it will look. It isn't simply a matter of altering the bezel; the bezel itself will have to be replaced. After all is said and done, it is probably more effective to get a new setting altogether for it rather than alter it.

 

[Newaxies]

Thanks for the reply. We contacted an Etsy jewelery who had pretty rings including a tourmaline one with a stone that was more green than I liked. We asked her if she could make a similar ring with a different stone that was more blue. She sent us a selection of stones she sourced and we chose from there (see image below with my fiance's notations). I assumed it would appear the same set as it did in the picture and she did not say anything about the stone not looking the same color once set. Looks like our best bet will be to go to a jeweler and see what we can do about getting it reset or possibly get a different brighter stone. I'm just frustrated that the jeweler who made the ring didn't say anything about this or talk to us about how the setting could affect the appearance of the stone.

 

[Arcadian]

unfortunately, the stone was quite dark to start with. Thats a pretty noticable close c axis type indicolite.

If you're going to bezel a stone, more often than not, you're closing off the light source to the stone, so especially with darker hued colored stones you really need to be sure that the stone is light enough and well cut enough so it won't be a black hole after being set.

the 2 options on the right would have been a much better choice to bezeling, as they show blue but not dark blue. thats whats called open c axis tourmaline. They would have gotten a bit darker, but not like your original stone.

At best, a prong set would be better for the current stone, if you choose to keep it. Otherwise, go with a more open c axis stone with a better cut.

Hopefully you can work it out with your vendor.

My typing sometimes sucks, sorry for any misspellings here.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Looking at the original picture of the stone, I don't think there is much you can do to make it look lighter. It is a very dark stone to start out with (the photo is looking at it from an angle, not straight on). I would expect occasional flashes of colour from it, nothing more.

 

[T L]

You have to be really careful when buying tourmaline, especially indicolite, as some of it tends to be very dark. So sorry you experienced this the hard way, and by the look of your photos, I don't think there's much you can do to brighten the stone.

 

[T L]

Thanks for the reply. We contacted an Etsy jewelery who had pretty rings including a tourmaline one with a stone that was more green than I liked. We asked her if she could make a similar ring with a different stone that was more blue. She sent us a selection of stones she sourced and we chose from there (see image below with my fiance's notations). I assumed it would appear the same set as it did in the picture and she did not say anything about the stone not looking the same color once set. Looks like our best bet will be to go to a jeweler and see what we can do about getting it reset or possibly get a different brighter stone. I'm just frustrated that the jeweler who made the ring didn't say anything about this or talk to us about how the setting could affect the appearance of the stone.

Unfortunately, the two stones on the right, would have been much better candidates as a "bright gem." The stone you picked is very dark in the vendor photo as well. Maybe you can exchange it out for one of the brighter (lighter toned) gems, which look to have open color.

 

[Newaxies]

Definitely kicking myself for not realizing this wasn't a good stone. We'll definitely contact her to see if we can work out some kind of exchange but I'm not optimistic-she is pretty adamant in her return policy. Not sure if there's a way around this that doesn't involve losing the money we already put into the ring. I might just sit on it and keep an eye for a ring I like better to eventually replace it with and accept that the money is sunk. I wish this one was still available, it's perfect!
http://diamondbistro.com/index.php?a=14&b=36373

 

[T L]

Definitely kicking myself for not realizing this wasn't a good stone. We'll definitely contact her to see if we can work out some kind of exchange but I'm not optimistic-she is pretty adamant in her return policy. Not sure if there's a way around this that doesn't involve losing the money we already put into the ring. I might just sit on it and keep an eye for a ring I like better to eventually replace it with and accept that the money is sunk. I wish this one was still available, it's perfect!
http://diamondbistro.com/index.php?a=14&b=36373

Sorry about your disappointment. I highly recommend you read this thread before considering any further gemstone purchases, and if you're still considering tourmaline for an e-ring, please note it doesn't always hold up well to everyday wear, especially if you're hard on your jewelry. It can also easily chip if being bezeled, so beware of any future bezeling as well. I would also only go with jewelers/dealers that have an acceptable period for returns. Good luck.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-to-coloured-gemstone-buying-read-this-first.174284/[/URL]

 

[chrono]

It's worth a try to ask her since she sourced the stones for you and set it too, to see if it can be exchanged for the bright one on the far right. If so, this will minimize the monetary loss and disappointment.

 

[GregS]

I am surprised the vendor didn't advise against bezel setting that stone. Like others have said it would black out even in an open setting. The stone on the far right may have been a better choice, but since the stones are at an angle, which is lousy, it's impossible to tell what it really looks like. At this point I suggest starting over entirely, new stone, new setting and different jeweler (if they aren't willing to give you a partial or full refund).